Overview of Spider Species in the United States
Trichonephila clavipes, commonly called banana spider or golden-silk orb weaver is a unique orb weaver species due to its shape and color. The spider is used to warm climate and originally native to Central America and some Caribbean islands. However, it can also be found in the Southern States of the U.S. During the warm […]
Olios Giganteus, the giant crab spider, belongs to the family of Sparassidae spiders, which are commonly called huntsman spiders. As other crab spiders, they have curved legs which gives them a crab-like appearance. However, the giant crab spider can reach a leg span of up to 6 inches (15 cm) – making them much larger than […]
Eratigena agrestis, commonly know as the hobo spider, is a funnel web spider that can be found in the Pacific Northwest. In the 90ies, the hobo spider has been listed as a medically important species. However, over the last 30 years, no actual evidence has been found that the spider is actually dangerous for humans. […]
Kukulcania hibernalis, the Southern House Spider is a large brown spider that can be found throughout the Southern United States, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Southern House Spider Description The southern house spider has a dark brown body and legs. Due to its size and coloration, the southern house spider is often mistaken […]
Philodromus, commonly called running crab spider, is a genus of crab spiders. Various species can be found throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere and the United States. Running crab spider description The Running Crab spider is usually a brown or a gray color with very little markings if any. The second pair of legs on the […]
The Lycosidae, commonly called wolf spiders are a family of hunter spiders found throughout the United States and the rest of the world. There are many species of the Wolf Spider in North America, many of which look very similar. Twice in the past I asked an entomologist (both times were different entomologists) to help […]
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. Brown Recluse Description […]
Leucauge venusta, commonly called orchard spider is an orb weaver spider that can be found in the Eastern US states, Canada and Central America. Unlike many other orb weavers, the orchard spider is a very colorful spider. Orchard spider description The abdomen is elongated and is silvery or white with colored markings. Those markings can […]
Piraurina Mira, commonly called nursery web spider, is a brown spider species with long legs. They are endemic to the Eastern USA. American nursery web spiders are often confused with wolf spiders or fishing spiders. The best way to identify Nursery Web Spiders from their lookalikes is by examining their eye patterns. If you are […]
Agelenopsis, American grass spiders, are a genus of spiders that can be found around the world and in every US state. They are some of the fastest spiders in the United States and can be fun just to watch if you can trigger the web right. Using a long piece of a weed or grass, […]
