Spiders in New Jersey

There are over 500 spider species that call New Jersey their home. On this page, you can find pictures and information about the most common spiders in New Jersey. We will answer the question if there are any deadly spiders in NJ, how to identify dangerous spiders and how to identify other common NJ spiders like harmless orb weavers, jumping spiders, cobweb spiders and more.

Poisonous spiders in NJ

If you are trying to identify a spider you found in NJ, your first question is probably if it can hurt you. And while almost all spiders in the world are venomous (not poisonous), only very few are considered medically significant. In New Jersey, there is only one group of medically significant spiders: black widows.

Black widows in NJ

There are two species of black widows in New Jersey: the northern black widow (Latrodectus variolus) and the southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans). Both species look very similar. Let’s have a look at the primary identification marks – you can find some pictures below:

• Black widows are primarily black. If the spider appears brown or purple, you are most likely looking at a false black widow (Steatoda grossa).
• They have a large round and shiny abdomen.
• Black widows have a red hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomen.
• They may have some red or white markings on their back.

Latrodectus Mactans – Southern Black Widow

Latrodectus mactans, the Southern black widow is a close relative of the Northern black widow and the Western black widow ...
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Latrodectus Variolus – Northern Black Widow

Latrodectus, the black widow spider is one of the most famed and feared spider genera in the world. Hollywood tends ...
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If you are bitten by a black widow, you should get medical attention immediately. Symptoms include local pain, nausea and other flu-like symptoms. Put ice on the bite area but don’t put on a tourniquet. Black widow spider bites are usually uncomfortable but are usually not deadly. Keep in mind that around 10 times as many people die from bee or wasp stings in the U.S. each year than from spider bites. Still, medical attention is advised.

Are there brown recluse spiders in New Jersey?

You should never say never but generally, there are no brown recluse spiders in New Jersey. Brown recluse spiders prefer warm and dry habitats and are mostly found in the Southern United States. Their natural range goes as far northeast as Southwestern West Virginia. A long way from New Jersey.

Even though everyone in New Jersey knows someone who knows someone who has seen or has been bitten by a brown recluse, most of these sightings are other brown spiders. Harmless and completely different-looking wolf spiders, fishing spiders and other house spiders are often confused with brown recluses. Simply because they are brown. Well have a look at them further down on this page.

Here is a picture and more information about brown recluses. However, if your spider doesn’t have a dark brown fiddle on its back, you are definitely not looking at a brown recluse.

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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Other common spiders in New Jersey

Almost all the common spiders found in New Jersey are harmless. Some large brown spiders are often mistaken for brown recluses who are not native to New Jersey. The largest families of spiders are orb weaver spiders, jumping spiders and cobweb spiders. Let’s have a look at some pictures.

Large brown spiders

The largest spider in New Jersey is the wolf spider. This large brown spider can reach a total leg span of up to 4 in (10 cm). Fishing spiders can also grow over 3 in (8 cm) and are often found near or even walking on water. Here are some pictures of common large brown spiders in NJ:

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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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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Orb weavers in New Jersey

Orb weavers are spiders that build large round webs in our gardens, in the forest or on the front porch. With their webs, they catch flying insects and pets like mosquitoes. A great service for you. Orb weavers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Here are pictures of the most common NJ orb weavers:

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 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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Missing Sector Orb Weaver – Zygiella X-Notata

The missing sector orb weaver, Zygiella x-notata, is a common spider species found throughout Europe and the United States. The ...
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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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Neoscona domiciliorum – Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver

Commonly known as Red-femured spotted orb weaver or spotted orb weaver, these spiders are in the family of Araneidae which ...
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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 New Jersey spiders

Jumping spiders, crab spiders, cobweb spiders are often found indoors and are a common sight in NJ during the warmer months. Here is an overview of all other common NJ spiders. Just click on the images or the “read more” buttons to read more about each species.

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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Castianeira Longipalpa – Long-Palped Ant Mimic Sac Spider

Castianeira longipalpa, sometimeys referred to as the long-palped ant mimic sac spider is found along the Eastern United States as ...
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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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Dysdera Crocata – Woodlouse Spider

As the name suggests, the Dysdera crocata, or commonly called woodlouse spider, primarily preys on woodlice. The spider can be ...
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Enoplognatha Ovata – Candy-Striped Spider

Candy-striped spider is not only one of the coolest names for a spider - it also looks great. This spider, ...
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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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Hibana – Ghost Spider

Hibana are a genus of spiders commonly referred to as ghost spiders. They are common throughout South and Central America, ...
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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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Peucetia viridans – Green Lynx Spider

Peucetia viridans, commonly known as the green lynx spider, is a large bright green spider found on many kinds of ...
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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 borealis

Steatoda borealis, a spider species that belongs to the genus Steatoda is one of the members family of Theridiidae. In ...
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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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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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NJ spider identification

If you have found a spider in New Jersey that is not on our list, we can hopefully help you. Just head over to our spider identification page. There you will find a handy tool that might help you identify the spider. If not, simply upload a picture on that site and we will do our best to identify the spider for you. Head over to the spider identification page now.