Name this spider?!

RickF

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Ok.. While checking out the late night creatures in my front yard I ran across this thing running rapidly across my concrete walkway but couldn't get a photo til he was roaming around my wood chips so this image is far from great but is all I have. This spider was at least 2 inches long with long arms protruding out the front in front of him. It almost looked like a crawdad in body shape -- long abdomen, etc.. Never seen anything like this before..

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Ridgerunner

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Unless someone else on her can identify it I'd be tempted to send that photo to a university entomology department. That's unusual. Looks like a good insect predator to have around.

The closest I could come was a wolf spider but those just don't look right so no guesses from me. That dark stripe instead of white is different.
 

flowerbug

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Ok.. While checking out the late night creatures in my front yard I ran across this thing running rapidly across my concrete walkway but couldn't get a photo til he was roaming around my wood chips so this image is far from great but is all I have. This spider was at least 2 inches long with long arms protruding out the front in front of him. It almost looked like a crawdad in body shape -- long abdomen, etc.. Never seen anything like this before..

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very unusual body shape in a spider. cannot id. first inclination was wolf spider. i doubt it is harmful, but no need to tempt fate by letting it bite you. :) otherwise leave it be as it will eat garden pests.
 

RickF

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I'm just as stumped -- I will say that those two front "arms" never moved -- it was like they were fixed in place -- not flexible. It made it rather amusing to watch him walk thru the yard -- almost like the steering in one of those 3 wheeled motorcycles with the two front wheels and the turning occurred in the rear.

Steve -- it didn't really quite match any of the pics in your above link.. The way the legs are splayed seems different to me.. The thought of it possibly being a baby scorpion crossed my mind as they do have those out here but I've never seen one of them either...
 

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