Parasteatoda tepidariorum, or the common house spider can be found in every US state. The spider is also distributed throughout most parts of the world and is often also referred to as the American house spider.
As the name suggests, the Common House Spider can often be found in basements, attics and crawl spaces as well as barns, privies, and stables. They tend to make their webs near human habitations, but try and stay out of the way of the humans at the same time.
The Parasteatoda tepidariorum are one of those spiders where you will find several adults living in close quarters. Often, their webs are built so close together, it looks like one continuous nest. Description – The abdomens will usually be a dull brown and patterned with strange shapes or splotches, or even look speckled. They have longer, thin, banded legs.
Common House Spider Specifics
Size
The adult body will grow to about ¼” (6 mm). Including the legs they can reach over 1 inch.
Web
The Common House Spider is of the Cobweb Spider family and the webs will be a haphazard tangle of thin webs.
Bites
The venom is a neurotoxin, similar to the black widow, but much less potent. Most bites will feel more like a bee sting and have no real effects.
On occasion, the female may deliver a sharp venomous bite that will cause some swelling, itchiness and possibly trigger antibody allergies that will pass with a little time.
The venom from the Common House Spider is sometimes extracted and sold as an insecticide for farming.
Scientific Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Family: Theridiidae
- Genus: Parasteatoda
- Species: Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Distribution of the common house spider in the USA
The common house spider can be found throughout the United States – Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
I found this spider in Northfield, Minnesota at approximately 1:45 pm. It was dangling by a strand of webbing from a field wildflower when I captured it to photograph. The body from head to abdomen is approximately 3 mm in length with a maximum wingspan of around 15 mm.
Dear Connor, thanks for getting in touch! This is a touch one 🙂 I am, however, fairly certain that this is a juvenile male common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum). I’ve moved the ID request to the according article. Here is a picture of a similar specimen on bugguide: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1404431
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks
USAspiders
Leaning towards american house spider but could be another similar in appearance photo taken professionally by me in my insect gallery
Hello Robin,
Thanks for getting in touch and for uploading this great picture. Yes, I agree that this is almost certainly a common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum):
https://usaspiders.com/parasteatoda-tepidariorum-common-house-spider/
May we use the image on the website to help others identify the spider?
Yes that would be cool!
Found this spider in DC… her body is cream & black, and her legs are pale grey/white with brown spots at the joints. It’s hard to see in the picture but the web is very chaotic and disorganized-looking! Any idea what kind of spider she is?
Hello Holland, thanks for getting in touch! This is a common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum): https://usaspiders.com/parasteatoda-tepidariorum-common-house-spider/
I think this is a common house spider. There was a smaller one with similar coloring sharing the web.
Hello Susan, this is a close relative of the common house spider, a triangulate cobweb spider (Steatoda triangulosa): https://usaspiders.com/steatoda-triangulosa-triangulate-cobweb-spider/
The smaller one is probably a male of the same species.
Seattle area – outside a house window. The babies just started hatching. I have multiple pics.
Thanks!
Hi Cora, thanks for sharing these great shots! This is a common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum): https://usaspiders.com/parasteatoda-tepidariorum-common-house-spider/
Seattle area – continued. The babies.
Seattle area continued. Thank you! Hoping this is just a Common House Spider. Thankful it is outside the window.
Is this a common house spider? We’re in North Dakota
Hoping its just a house spider, cant find anything about it online. This is a pregnant version, hope i can get a better picture next time, i mean it is inside my window lol