"Curtains" for Incy Wincy (the scorpion spider)

Arggh! Chris shouts and swipes something large off my leg and onto the floor. It scuttles away under the curtain. Is it a spider? At home in England I would have picked it up as gently as I could and put it out the window. Here? Well it didn't look like the ideal house companion, so sadly we decided that extermination was the only safe option.

Stop Press: My brother Pete has identified this as a scorpion spider.

See whatsthatbug.com/category/spiders/scorpion-spiders and Platyoides Walteri - yes really! - http://www.ispotnature.org/node/859455. Not known to be venomous, but still could give you a nasty nip.