Spiders in Minnesota

Let’s have a look at the spiders found in Minnesota. There are over 500 different species of spiders in the State. The most common spiders found in MN are orb weavers, jumping spiders, cobweb spiders, wolf spiders, fishing spiders and crab spiders. And we’ll have a look at all of them on this page.

Poisonous spiders in Minnesota

If you are here to identify a spider that you found in Minnesota, you are probably wondering if it can be dangerous for you, your children or your pets. First off the good news: while almost all spiders in the world are venomous, only around 30 species worldwide are considered medically significant. And none of these spiders is commonly found in Minnesota. In the United States, only black widow spiders and brown recluses are medically significant spiders.

Black widows in MN

The range of the northern black widow (Latrodectus variolus) does not reach farther North as Central Missouri and Southeastern Wisconsin. No established populations of black widows have been found in Minnesota and the few confirmed sightings were imported live spiders from farther South or East.

So it is very unlikely that you encounter a black widow spider in Minnesota. However, here are a few identification tips:

• Black, shiny body
• Round abdomen
• Red hourglass-shape on the bottom of its abdomen
• Spins an erratic and tangled cobweb
• Possibly some white or red markings on its back

Here are some pictures:

Brown recluse spiders

You are even less likely to encounter a brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) than a black widow in Minnesota. Brown recluses prefer warm weather and their natural range only reaches up to Southern Iowa. Very few sightings of cargo spiders have been documented in Minnesota. However, most sightings were false identifications of other brown spiders. Here are some identifications tips for brown recluse spiders:

• Completely brown body
• Darker brown violin shape on the back of its cephalothorax (head)
• Long and slender legs, not hairy
• Leg span not more than 1.5 in (3 cm)

Here is an image of a brown recluse and more information in the linked article:

Loxosceles reclusa – Brown Recluse

The brown recluse, loxosceles reclusa, is one of the more dangerous spiders indigenous in the United States. While usually not life-threatening, a brown recluse bite might lead to severe skin damage. This page gives an overview of how to identify a brown recluse and in which states in the US it appears. The brown recluse compared to the size of a penny. Brown Recluse Description The brown recluse spider is ...
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To sum it up: You are very unlikely to encounter a medically significant spider in Minnesota. Sightings of black widows are very rare and often false identifications of false black widow spiders. Brown recluses are even less likely to appear in your MN home. Even though everybody knows someone who has seen or been bitten by a brown recluse, the large majority of these alleged sightings are false identifications of other brown spiders in Minnesota. Most of the look almost nothing like brown recluses other than their body color. Here are a few brown spiders that are common in Minnesota: Wolf spiders (Lycosidae), fishing spiders (Dolomedes), grass spiders (Agelenopsis) and nursery web spiders (Pisaurina).

Here you can see some images of brown spiders in MN that are NOT brown recluses and absolutely harmless:

Large spiders in Minnesota – wolf spiders, fishing spiders and more

The biggest spider in Minnesota is the fishing spider. They are often found near, or even running on water. Their bodies can grow up to one inch and they can reach a maximum leg span of 3.5-4 in (10 cm). Wolf spiders, which are also common in Minnesota can reach a similar size. Here, you can find an overview of the largest spiders in MN:

Lycosidae – Wolf Spider

The Lycosidae, commonly called wolf spiders are a family of hunter spiders found throughout the United States and the rest ...
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Pisaurina Mira – American Nursery Web Spider

Piraurina Mira, commonly called nursery web spider, is a brown spider species with long legs. They are endemic to the ...
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Agelenopsis – American Grass Spider

Agelenopsis, American grass spiders, are a genus of spiders that can be found around the world and in every US ...
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Dolomedes – Fishing Spider

As the name suggests, the fishing spider is a semi-aquatic genus of spiders that are found all over the world ...
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Argiope Trifasciata – Banded Garden Spider

The Argiope trifasciata or Banded Garden Spider is one of the most common species of the Argiope orb weaving spider ...
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Argiope Aurantia – Black and Yellow Garden Spider

The Argiope Aurantia or black and yellow garden spider appears in every US state and in many other countries around ...
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Orb weaver spiders

Orb weavers are the most commonly found spider throughout the U.S. Even though they rarely appear indoors, they spin large orb-shaped webs in our gardens, front porches and in forests. Orb weavers come in a range of colors, shapes and sizes and are especially abundant in late autumn. The most common orb weavers found in Minnesota is the European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) and the black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia). Here is an overview of all common orb weavers in the state:

Acanthepeira Stellata – Starbellied Orb Weaver

Acanthepeira stellata, commonly called the starbellied orb weaver, is one of the most remarkable and memorable orb weaver spiders. Its ...
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Araneus Bicentenarius – Giant Lichen Orb Weaver

While the giant lichen orb weaver may not be the largest orb weaver in terms of diameter, thanks to its ...
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Araneus diadematus – The European Garden Spider

Araneus diadematus, also called the European garden spider or the cross spider is an orb weaver spider with an iconic ...
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Araneus Gemmoides – Cat-Faced Spider or Jewel Spider

The Araneus Gemmoides is an orb weaver species that occurs in the Western United States. It is also known under ...
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Araneus Marmoreus – Marbled Orb Weaver

Araneus marmoreus, The marbled orb weaver is a colorful orb weaver species. Due to its orange color, it is sometimes ...
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Araneus Trifolium – Shamrock Spider

Araneus trifolium, the shamrock spider, is a widely distributed orb weaver that can come in various colors, mostly beige or ...
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Argiope Aurantia – Black and Yellow Garden Spider

The Argiope Aurantia or black and yellow garden spider appears in every US state and in many other countries around ...
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Argiope Trifasciata – Banded Garden Spider

The Argiope trifasciata or Banded Garden Spider is one of the most common species of the Argiope orb weaving spider ...
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Larinioides Cornutus – Furrow Spider

Larinioides Cornutus, commonly known as the furrow spider, is an orb weaver species that can be found throughout the Northern ...
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Leucauge venusta – Orchard Spider

Leucauge venusta, commonly called orchard spider is an orb weaver spider that can be found in the Eastern US states, ...
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Mangora gibberosa – Lined Orbweaver

Mangora gibberosa, the lined orbweaver, is a common spider found throughout the eastern part of North America. One of the ...
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Micrathena gracilis – Spined Micrathena

Micrathena gracilis, commonly known as spined micrathena, is one of the spiny orb weaver spiders. The spiny body serves to ...
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Micrathena mitrata – White Micrathena

The spider species Micrathena mitrata, commonly called white micrathena, is an orb weaving spider. They have a large bulbous white ...
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Neoscona Arabesca – Arabesque Orb Weaver

Neoscona arabesca, commonly known as the arabesque orbweaver, is one of the most common orbweaver species that can be found ...
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Neoscona crucifera – Spotted Orb Weaver

Neoscona crucifera, commonly known as the spotted orbweaver, is an orb weaver species indigenous to the Eastern part of North ...
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Pachygnatha

The Pachygnatha is technically part of the Orb Weaver family. However, it does not spin a web and is a ...
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Verrucosa Arenata – Arrowhead Spider

The arrow-head spider, Verrucosa arenata, is an orb-weaver spider found throughout the United States. Its common name arrowhead spider or ...
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Other common spiders in Minnesota

Next to large brown spiders and orb weavers, jumping spiders and cobweb spiders are some of the most common house spiders in MN. In the following list, you can see pictures of common Minnesota spiders. Just click on the links to learn more about them and to see more pictures.

Castianeira Descripta – Red-Spotted Ant Mimic Spider

Castianeira descripta, more commonly know as the red-spotted ant mimic spider gets its common name from the similar look and ...
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Cheiracanthium Mildei – Northern Yellow Sac Spider

Cheiracanthium mildei, the northern yellow sac spider is one of the most common spiders in Northeastern America. However, it can ...
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Clubiona – Leaf-Curling Sac Spider

Spiders of the genus Clubiona, commonly called leaf-curling sac spiders, can be found throughout the world and in every US ...
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Frontinella Pyramitela – Bowl and Doily Spider

The bowl and doily spiders, known as Frontinella pyramitela, are a small species of spiders that belong to the family ...
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Herpyllus Ecclesiasticus – Eastern Parson Spider

Herpyllus ecclesiasticus, The Eastern parson spider is one of the most commonly encountered hunter spiders in the United States. The ...
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Maevia Inclemens – Dimorphic Jumper

Maevia inclemens, commonly called dimorphic jumper is a species of jumping spiders mainly found in the Eastern U.S. States and ...
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Misumena – Flower Crab Spider

The misumena, commonly called flower crab spider, is a genus of spiders that hunt their prey in or around flowers ...
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Parasteatoda tepidariorum – The Common House Spider

Parasteatoda tepidariorum, or the common house spider can be found in every US state. The spider is also distributed throughout ...
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Phidippus audax – Daring Jumping Spider

Phidippus audax, commonly known as the daring jumping spider is a jumping spider found throughout the USA. As their name ...
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Philodromus – Running Crab Spider

Philodromus, commonly called running crab spider, is a genus of crab spiders. Various species can be found throughout the entire ...
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Pholcidae – Daddy Long-Legs or Cellar Spider

As strange as it sounds, the Pholcidae, or Cellar Spider is one of the most misunderstood spiders in the world ...
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Platycryptus Undatus – Tan Jumping Spider

The tan jumping spider is a mostly black and gray jumping spider found in the Eastern United States. The can ...
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Salticus Scenicus – Zebra Spider

Salticus scenicus, the zebra spider, is a jumping spider that can be found in the entire Northern Hemisphere. As its ...
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Scytodes Thoracica – Spitting Spider

The spitting spider, scientifically called Scytodaes thoracica, is a fascinating type of hunting spider that captures and paralyzes its prey ...
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Steatoda Bipunctata – Rabbit Hutch Spider

The Steatoda bipunctata, commonly called rabbit hutch spider is a black spider found throughout the United States. It comes from ...
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Steatoda Grossa – False Black Widow Spider

The Steatoda grossa, commonly called the false black widow spider or cupboard spider can be found throughout the United States ...
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Steatoda Triangulosa – Triangulate Cobweb Spider

The Steatoda triangulosa, commonly called the triangulate cobweb spider is a brown-black spider found throughout the US. It has an ...
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Trachelas Tranquillus – Broad-Faced Sac Spider

The Trachelas Transquillus, or broad-faced sac spider is a spider that is native to the Eastern part of the United ...
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Ummidia – Trap-Door Spider

Ummidia is a genus of spiders that can be found around the world. Among other genus, they are commonly called ...
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Xysticus – Ground Crab Spider

Spiders of the Xysticus genus, also called ground crab spiders are a rather indistinct species. As all crab spiders, they ...
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Xysticus Funestus – Deadly Ground Crab Spider

Even though Xysticus funestus has a dangerously-sounding common name, the deadly ground crab spider, it is of absolutely no concern ...
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Minnesota spider identification

If you have found a spider in Minnesota that is not on our list, head over to our spider identification page. We have a spider identification tool that might help you identify your spider. If not, simply upload a picture of your spider on that page and we will try our best and find out what species you’ve got.