We can help you identify your spider. Did you find a spider that is nothing like any you have seen before? Did you look through the list of common spiders for your state on this site and din’t find any information?
Let us help you identify your spider!
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. 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 send us an email with the information to USAspiders@gmail.com 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.
Bright red head light back and legs; Heathsville Virginia
Hello Erica, thank you for getting in touch. From the picture quality, it is quite hard to identify the spider. Based on the picture, together with the description, it could be a woodlouse spider (https://usaspiders.com/dysdera-crocata-woodlouse-spider/). Do let us know if the spider looked like a woodlouse spider.
Best regards,
USAspiders
Near our eaves next to our deck
Hello Martina, thank you for reaching out. This is definitely a species of orb weaver. They are great spiders to keep around for insect control as they will catch small flying insects. They are not a medical concern for humans or pets. From this picture, it is hard to 100% identify the species. However, since its abdomen looks quite round and somewhat hairy, my best guess is that this is a spotted orb weaver – Neoscona crucifera:
https://usaspiders.com/neoscona-crucifera-spotted-orb-weaver/
Do let us know if the spider looks similar to the spotted orb weaver from the upper side or, if possible, make another picture from the other side.
Best regards
USAspiders
This spider was found in my sons house that he rents in Withee Wisconsin.
I did not see it in person.
Wondering what kind it is. Thanks
Hello Lisa,
Thanks for getting in touch. It’s hard to make a 100% ID off this image alone but I am fairly certain that this is an American grass spider: https://usaspiders.com/agelenopsis-american-grass-spider/
It’s not a medically significant spider and poses no threat to humans or pets (and there isn’t a similar looking species in your area that is medically significant either).
Best regards
USAspiders
I found this spider in an old tire in my back yard and could t find out what kind it was it has eggs also
Hello Carter,
Thanks for getting in touch. Unless you live outside the United States, this is a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata). Its abdomen seems somewhat shrunk and deformed which happens sometimes after it has laid eggs. It’s not a medically significant spider and great to have around for insect control. You can read more about it here: https://usaspiders.com/arigope-trifasciata-banded-garden-spider/
Apologies if this has already been identified- I couldn’t find it myself. Found on the rock beach near Mount Saint Sauveur Acadia National Park, Maine.
Hello Grace,
Thank you for getting in touch. The spider you found is a jumping spider (Phidippus purpuratus). We don’t have an overview article about them yet – but will create one soon. You can find more information about jumping spiders in this post about a close relative of your spider: https://usaspiders.com/phidippus-audax-daring-jumping-spider/
Found this spider on a door frame in my house. I sadly couldn’t recognize what kind it was. This is definitely a first time I’ve seen one like this in Hortonville, WI.
Hello Morgan,
This is a broad-faced sac spider (Trachelas tranquillus).
Its bite can be initially painful but they are not a medical concern. Sac spiders are more often seen in autumn when temperatures fall outside and they hide into warmer houses.
You can find more information about it here:
https://usaspiders.com/trachelas-tranquillus-broad-faced-sac-spider/
Hello…trying to identify this. Trying to determine if it is dangerous or not.
I know this an Orb-weaver spider, but not sure of the exact kind. It was bigger than the bumblebee it had captured and was living under the petals of a sunflower in east central Wisconsin. Huge abdomen, light brownish yellow body with cream markings on the back.
central alabama
Found this spider in our garden and there are multiple spiders all the same in this plant called purple heart
Found in a garage in Farmington, CT. I believe it’s a Rabbit Hutch (False Widow) but checking with you to confirm.
Black with dark brown spots on top and a brown field on bottom. If you need more pictures, please email me. Thanks
Found under garden row cover in Randolph, Vermont, early September, 2020.