Did you find a spider in the U.S and you would like to identify it? Then you are at the right place. This page will help you identify your spider. Simply read through the content on this site and answer the questions below, and you will hopefully identify your spider. If not, you can still reach out to us (more details below).
Are you dealing with a venomous spider?
Let’s first start off by eliminating the possibility that you are dealing with a potentially dangerous spider. There are only two medically significant spider genera in the United States: Widows and recluse spiders. Look at the following pictures below. Does your spider look like any of these? If yes or if you are unsure, click on the pictures to see more pictures and learn more about the venomous spiders and their range in the U.S.:
If your spider doesn’t look like yours – Great! Then you are most likely dealing with a harmless spider. Let’s identify it!
USA Spider Identification Tool
Please answer the questions below and you will get one or more possible results based on your answers. In a few rare cases, you might get no result. If this happens, you could try the spider identification tool over again or upload your spider pictures in the comment section below, so we can identify it for you. You are also welcome to leave a comment or feedback about the spider identificator (criticism is also welcome, we are working hard to improve).
Juvenile spiders can have white or red markings on their back 
Wolf spider 
Nusery web spider 
Did the tool not help you to (correctly) identify your spider? Let us help you identify your spider!
Did you also look through the list of common spiders for your state on this site and didn’t find any information?
Simply upload a picture of your spider as a comment to this post below in the “Leave a reply” section at the bottom of the page – no sign-up or login necessary. Along with the photograph, please add the following information:
- Description of the spider (helps with the identification but is not mandatory)
- City and U.S. State where the spider was found
- Your name how you want to be credited on our website
By uploading a picture, you are giving us permission to use the picture on this site. Please only upload pictures you own the copyright to. Do not upload pictures taken from other web sources without proper crediting. Any pictures we use, we will place your name and city where it was found beneath the picture as the photographer.
When uploading your picture, you are required to enter your email address. Your email address will not be posted publicly. As soon as we have found an ID for your spider, you will be notified by email to the email address provided by you.
Taking the perfect picture of your spider
The more detail can be seen, the better. It is easiest for others or for us to identify your spider if the photograph is taken from the top of the spider. If both body parts, the colors, and the markings are visible, it will go a long way to getting the spider correctly identified. If you have a good camera and are not afraid to get a good close macro shot of its eye pattern, that can also help immensely. Some species can only be distinguished by a close look at their eye patterns.
Please upload the picture as its own file to the comment form below. Our upload form allows all standard image files up to a size of 15 MB. It is not possible to upload .zip files or more than one picture per upload. If you have more than one picture of your spider sighting, please upload them separately and copy the description text including the location along with it.
Backup: Email contact of USAspiders.com
If for some reason, the upload form doesn’t work or you prefer that your spider picture is not published publicly, you can email us with the information to [email protected] and we will get back to you with an ID via email. However, we do prefer that you upload your picture in the comment form below as it will benefit all our readers.
In the comment above I failed to mention these were found in central Pennsylvania, USA
I came across this iridescent looking spider inside at work a couple months ago. Not sure what kind it is, but absolutely mesmerized by its beauty! This is located in Spartanburg, SC.
This spider was seen by the Guadalupe river crawling on the rocks. Grey and white and brown color. Approximately 4 inches with legs. I can’t narrow it down but probably in the wolf family? Thank you for your help.
Found Holland, Michigan. Front of home, no web.
Found this cutie on my chicken coop. I said hi. Looks like it has sawdust all over it. In Loudon, TN. Any idea of what this little thing is? About the size of a dime. Thanks.
Found this guy trying to come in our back door. Biggest spider that I’ve seen in years.
Found this in my storage in Coeur D’Alene, idaho.
Looks like wolf spider but I don’t think it is. These 2 live in a pair in Provo Utah October
To anyone who can help….
I found this spider about a foot down in the dirt while digging a hole after a fairly good rain this weekend. I live in Watsonville, California.
Now while this spider is quite large in size compared to most all spiders around here that would be seen in the wild and/or in your home, this is definitely not the biggest of this species I have seen. I have caught and released at least two or three others of this same exact species, solid in color, which is a very dark grey. Absolutely no hair on the body that I can tell, with very very little hair on the legs which I can only see zooming in with camera.
Oh they are also VERY agressive, rearing up when in defense with the 4 front legs up in the air and big black fangs very visible. When holding a jar with one of these contained, it would pounce at the bottom of jar towards my hand with lightning speed.
I don’t know if venomous or not, but even if it’s not, the bite looks like it would hurt very very badly. I really don’t think it’s a Tarantula but I could be wrong.
Any help is appreciated, thank you!
Second spider image from the Tuscaloosa Alabama area.
A third spider in the Tuscaloosa Alabama area. Really enjoy identifying them with your site!
Brown – Orange body, orange legs with black/white stripes
Located in Roswell Georgia
My name is Dmyer
Hi
My garden spider is long gone but she left an egg nest it’s on the concrete building at work it’s not out of the elements or sheltered at all I’m wondering if I should attempt to relocate it?
Here is the picture of the egg sack on the building at work. Should I try to relocate it somewhere safer? I posted earlier but picture didn’t show up
Hello Krissy, this egg sac looks unusually flat for a banded garden spider. It’s usually safe to relocate them. You can use a broom and place it in some bushes off the ground.
Thank You!
I’ll let you know what happens!
Krissy
Hi there – found a spider inside my southern California house (Los Angeles). My painter couldn’t identify it and advised I figure out if it was poisonous because then I’ll have to fumigate my house.
It was about an inch long with longer legs than the body. Legs were pretty skinny.
Thanks for any help!
Abbey
Was hanging from a thick web in forest, 11/2″ approx in length
Found this one indoors – Southern California
Found in Auburn, California, in a bathroom.
Nearly. 4″ long
Hello Jane, great find! This is a false tarantula (family Nemesiidae). Most likely Callisoga longitarsis: https://bugguide.net/node/view/413816
Found on a house wall in Colorado
sorry the picture is a little blurry. i can’t find any thing on google that looks like this at all. found inside in western north carolina
Please help me identify this soider it was caught right next to my 2 year old sons bed
los angeles california
Found this spider outside next to my plants. Not sure what kind it is. My dad found it and swears he’s going to keep it. Can anyone identify it? It’s fairly large and it’s back has brown lines all around. Pretty funky looking
This one came out of nowhere in the den today. Is it a wolf or an orb weaver?
In my basement
Found this little thing laying flat. Thought it was dead at first but it then moved. Between 1/8th inch and 1/4 inch in size
I feel badly that I took this spiders life, but I’ve never seen one like this, inside my house on the floor in the dark. The reddish tinge was the primary color, but also black and yellow- white in other body parts. It was larger in body size than what I’ve seen with the typical daddy long legs, the legs are curled up so hard to discern size but body is approx 1/2 “… any ideas of this spider is venomous!? Pics are of top and bottom of spider.
Hello, found this while working on my shed. Its about .25″ in size.
Found in our High School in Norman, OK
I found this spider in a wall inside the house and have seen it in the garden also in Ontario CA. It has a brown color with a darker reddish brown thorax. The leg span is around 0.5 inches.
Approximately the size of the palm of myhand. Found in Joplin, Missouri.
Found this spider under my camper when I was packing to leave. Southern part of New Mexico at Leaseburg State park NM. I was in a hurry to leave and used my phone with max zoom for the picture. My guess would be the body was about an inch
Saw this spider indoors on a wall. Boulder, Colorado, November 11, 2021. Centimeter or so long. No web, just walking on the wall. It is hairier than any of the spiders you have suggested. Google thinks it is a tarantula. What is it?
Bugguide thinks it is a jumping spider, genus Phidippus, possibly P. audax. Looks good to my untutored eye. What do you think?
Here is another one that resists identification by your algorithm, at least as applied by me. It also seems to have something in its eye, so to speak.
Boulder, Colorado, November, 2021, inside, on a window ledge. So far has resisted 2 runs through your identification algorithm. First time I have taken a picture that so clearly showed all 8 eyes, incidentally, tho it appears to have something in its eye, so to speak.
Sorry, I thought the previous submission had not gone through or I had made some kind of mistake. Please feel free to delete it.
I don’t know what you’re of spider this is. Please help. It’s in Newport News, VA.
Portland, Oregon
Dwells above door or in ceiling corner in laundry room in invisible web. Slightly larger than a quarter, tan or yellow, banded legs, pattern on abdomen, long front and back legs, short 3rd set of legs
-Ali
That looks/sounds exactly like the spider in our window in NJ, that we are trying to identify! If you get an answer, I’d appreciate a reply to my reply so I know it.
Hi. Please identify. Found under my treadmill in Northern Cook County, Illinois. Thank you.
Hello USASPIDER,
I found this spider in the bathroom floor, size about 3/4 inch. I live in Beaverton, Oregon
Bigger than a quarter. Middle of my shop on concrete slab
Burbank, California. I found this very striking spider on an umbrella pole on my patio. This is just one day after I found what almost had to be a brown recluse in my bathroom, at least no other brown recluse look-alike I could find online looked more like my spider (from yesterday) than the brown recluse images. Today’s spider has a body just over half an inch long.
Found in my garage. Body is about the size of a quarter. Looks like a black widow but doesn’t have any red markings.
Oklahoma City, OK
Pretty sure that this is a black widow. It was in my garage. Roughly the size of a quarter. It has since shuffled off its mortal coil.
This spider is in a web in our window (upstairs) in northern NJ; we’re trying to determine if it’s dangerous. Unfortunately its location makes is impossible to get a good picture; I got one from its underside (through the window) and one (with difficulty) from the side. Your system appears only to allow one picture, so I will make two posts to provide both.
It’s very large for NJ; bigger than a quarter as positioned (not fully stretched.) Light brown with very dark leg bands. Can’t glimpse any distinctive markings on top. Help identifying would be much appreciated!
This is a second picture of the spider in the window in NJ
Found this on my porch, prince George, Va.
This spider was found in Spring Hill, Florida. I can’t find any information on this unique spider.
Found in Murfreesboro, TN. Didn’t see any webs nearby, it disappeared before I could get a clearer picture.
Found in my apartment bathroom. Can u tell me what it is ..
Found in my apartment bathroom. Can u tell me what it is .. Texas
Found this one crawling up my bathroom wall and when I went to take a picture of it it tried to reach for my phone