Good observation, I should not have written insect. There are 8 legs, two appendages coming out the front that look like claws, and something out the bottom that looks like a fan-tail. The shell is hard. Dried up spider is possible.Is it alive and moving? The reason I ask is it looks like a dead dried up spider. Insects have 6 legs and spiders have 8. It is difficult to tell if there are 8 legs but it appears to be, but it well could be an insect.
Good observation, I should not have written insect. There are 8 legs, two appendages coming out the front that look like claws, and something out the bottom that looks like a fan-tail. The shell is hard. Dried up spider is possible.
There are 8 legs, two appendages coming out the front that look like claws, and something out the bottom that looks like a fan-tail. The shell is hard. Dried up spider is possible.
I'll bet my pension checks for the next year there are no scorpions in Illinois much less Chicago. But....
A real long shot, do you live in an apartment or condo where others may have scorpions that found their way into your area? Is it a new house you bought and the prior owner may have had scorpions? People have odd "pets"! Real long shots, while scorpion seems most likely, Illinois is just not desert conditions. Scorpions probably can tolerate freezing weather just not for long like Nov to March! In high deserts night time temperatures often drop to freezing or below. I've seen spiders active in my woodpile in December at +10 F, they move very slowly but they are moving. Arachnids are tough sobs!
MichaelB said:From the basement, this morning. I've browsed the usually helpful insect identification websites but can't find this one. Anyone recognize this?
Thanks for the link to that picture. The color is very close, both the body and the legs which are a bit lighter. I'm going to look for more images of the woodlouse hunter.http://www.spiders.us/files/dysdera-crocata-1.jpg
Perhaps the spider Dysdera crocata, the woodlouse hunter after the distal parts of the legs have broken off and the abdomen has shriveled up?
This website lets you post photos of your unknown pests for other viewers to attempt to identify.
Post #388 on that website kind of vaguely resembles your bug...but not exactly (it's a non-venomous spider, but has strong jaws)
You can proudly tell your entemologist he was right on. It looked smushed but really it was dried and the legs fell off.My son (our 12-year old entemologist wanna-be) says "it's a woodlouse spider- but a little smushed."
You can proudly tell your entemologist he was right on. It looked smushed but really it was dried and the legs fell off.