Spider Identification
Need help identifying a spider? If so, then this is the place to post your information.
Need help identifying a spider bite? If so, then select the page on spider bites or insect bite if you’re not sure what bit you.
Simply write a little information about where you found the spider, such as:
I found this spider in the basement and in a funnel like web. I live in Northern Michigan and am not sure what type of spider this is, can you help me identify it?
Then, send me a picture of the spider and I will post it for everyone to see. If I can’t identify it, one of the visitors are sure to chime in.
Written by Jim on August 2nd, 2007 with
775 comments.
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I found a spider in my apartment yesterday that I would love some help identifying. Some info that might help: I live in St Paul, Minnesota, close to the river. It is starting to get cool here, and I seem to have an influx of creatures in my warm apartment each fall.
About the spider: I first saw it crawling up the wall. The speed at which it moved led me to believe for a second that it might be a house centipede, of which we see a few each year. It also appeared very narrow as it ran on the wall. But in fact, it was clearly a spider- eight legs, not sure how many eyes. The spider crawled around on the wall for a while and eventually crawled down toward the floor where I managed to trap it in a cup (it was later released outside).
The spider was medium reddish-brown in color, and when I shined a flashlight on it, appeared very red and fairly translucent. It was between 2 and 2.5 cm in length. It had very strange looking pedipalps- long, very similar to the legs, appeared as though they had, perhaps, breadcrumbs on them. That is to say there were very light brown specks “attached” to the ends of them, and they were curled inward tightly at the tips. The spider was noticeably hairless, and had two very distinguishing features. First, it’s abdomen resembled a sesame seed (though about twice as long as a normal sesame seed)- uniform in color- basically tan- all around. And second, its sternum was quite red (not black widow red, but quite red for a brown spider), and created an interesting patten with the base of the legs- it looked like a red circle with white bubbles around it.
In the time that the spider was in the cup, it left something of a web, though it seemed unintentional. As I have looked around online, the spider most closely resembled something between a brown recluse (though we don’t really have those here, the color was slightly different, and it did not have a fiddleback mark, nor any other marks that I saw) and a yellow sac spider. Neither seems exactly right. It does not look like any of the common Minnesota house spiders that I have found, and I have never seen a spider like this before. I would love thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!
Just to add to my comments on #701, it would probably also be helpful for me to mention that the spider only had two eyes. And that, when we found another spider, we placed it in a cup adjacent to the spider above, and when our first spider saw the second spider, he “jumped” into an attack position (the other spider just walked away). My boyfriend and I believe that our unidentified friend that it was probably some kind of sac spider.
hi well i live in central java indonesia in a place called yogyakarta and i saw this amizing little spider one day and i’m interested to know what it is. please help if you can. it was in my house and i was luck to take a few pic of it then it jumped and i have never seen it again.
graham
Found a white spider, has a brown horizontal line wrapping around the front of its butt. Its rather small, but don’t believe i’ve ever seen a white one.
hiya what is a black spider that looks like a scorpian but has thin white stripes on its back and legs oh and we live in texas.
I found this crawling on my metal patio chair here in Glendora, California. I haven’t been able to identify it, but came across your page and thought you might know what kind of spider it is. The body is flat instead of bulbous.
I don’t know whether to be curious or concerned:)
Thanks for any help you can give me,
Brian
*****************
Hi Brian,
I can’t tell for sure, but the human looking eyes strongly suggest it’s a jumper of some type, perhaps a Hoy’s Jumper which shows a white band above the brow and carapace (top part of body). You have the brow part, coloring, but the white like on the top is not clear. If it’s a jumper, it’s not harmful to humans.
If you find out for sure, will you please let me know? Thanks!
Jim.
I came across this spider this morning on the siding of my home. I am in NW Washington State. I noticed another post with today’s date with a similar spider. It was in Ontario, Canada. I’ve never seen one like this before. We live in the middle of a wooded area and have LOTS of spiders.
The space between brown boards is six inches. That should give some scale as to how long the spider legs are.
Thanks,
Mike in WA
my mom found this spider in our kitchen table. i’ve done research and apparently its a crab spider….or maybe something else. can u help me identify it thoroughly..? …thyank you in advance.
=]
ps. i think its very cool, i’ve been feeding it flies and bees. =P
We found a spider - heavy, thick web, in a circular pattern - 10ft x 15ft.
The spider was about 1.25 inches - 1.5 inches - including legs.
It had a big bulbous abdomen - pale brown/gray solid color.
There was a rectanguler pattern at the bottom of the abdomen - two black bands with white dots or tiny boxes at each corner of the square.
The pattern was about .25″ high x .35″ wide
The legs were red. They were thin and long.
There were distinct pincers near the head.
We’ve never seen this before. Sorry, we don’t have a picture.
Incidentally, we are in California, in the northern San Fernando Valley, in case you need a geographic referent.
Thanks for the help.
Eva
i’ve been finding these WEIRD spiders they are solid black all except
these 6 orange dots on their thoraxes[butt]of the spider their are two rows of three orange spots cosisting of 3 in each row and they are very fond of jumping i’ve only found one large one the others are smaller or about the size of a dime
i live in south carolina
Hi Brenda,
You are right - that is a crab spider. Crab spiders do not build webs to trap prey, but are hunters and ambushers and also happen to be close cousins to the recluse spiders, and are highly venomous. So be careful!
Hi,
Can you help me identify this guy? Found him running on my apartment floor last week.
I’m in Hayward, CA.
Thanks!
Young
I found a spider like #67 on my shoulder this morning after I had been outside changing a bike tire. Needless to say, it startled me. It was very slow moving and I was able to brush it off and catch it in a jar to bring to show my students today. I still don’t know what kind it is and all the kids want to know.
Thank you.
Just found the same spider as #7 on page one- also hanging from one thread outside of the kitchen door. Could not identify it in any books, or online. Please let me know what kind it is.
Anna
Lewisville, NC
WHat is #7???? I cannot find any answers anywhere…
hi, i just found a spider after my fiance found a few irritating bite marks on his arm, it looked a bit like rachael’s photo (22) but the body seems skinnier on this spider, it also had its abdomin covered in its hatched young.
we live in nsw australia if that helps.
thankyou.
i work for petsmart in the denton/dallas region of tx. we keep finding the same type of spider in our cricket keeper. they are always on the vents inside the cricket keeper and do not appear to have a web. we thought it was a brown recluse but does not have the fiddle/violin on its back like the typical recluse. it is brown and about the size of a dime, with the body and leg span. instead of the violin back it has a spikey-shaped line going down its back. it also has brown markings on its underbelly that look like little ribs. it has the body and color of a brown recluse without the fiddle back. it scares our girls at petsmart because they no longer want to get crickets for people. we are curious what it is and if it can do any harm!! thank you so much!!!
Tara
HAs anyone identified the spider in #491? I have been killing the same type of spider here in South Bend Indiana. I have been told it’s a sow wbug killer, but it doesn’t match the pictures I find on the internet. I believe my three year old has been bit by it in the past. I have never seen the spider in a web, usually on the wall and once on the floor.
The other day I found a really interesting spider on my front door in s. california. It was about the size of an MnM and black all over except on its abdomen where it had distinct criss-crossing white lines. I didn’t have a camera with me at the time so I don’t have a picture, sorry. The closest design I could find on another spider was on the swift ground spider, but it doesn’t have the crossed lines and on mine the marks were only on the abdomen. Just curious.
Thank you for your time!
I found a spider in my backyard that had spun a huge beautiful web on the clothesline, just hours after a good rain. It is high off the ground, and not making any attempt to hide behind or beneath anything. It has a very round, plump body, shorter legs, seems furry and has these amazing markings that remind me of a cross between giraffe spots and tiger stripes. I’m in Los Angeles, CA btw.
I work in West Africa and came home a few days ago. Today my 4 year daughter called me into the bathroom where she was tormenting a strange looking spider(although i’m not overly keen on them i try to teach the kids they are ok). Anyway, this spider had a body the size of your thumb nail with a red stripe across its back although most of its back could have been red. It had extremely long thin legs which were at least 2-5 - 3 inches in length but needle-like.
Is this a Brittish spider or some seriously dangers stow away from Africa.
I would appreciate a speedy reply to this message as i have young kids and hope there aren’t more.
Kind Regards,
Iain C.
I do not have a picture of the spider. It was a jumper. I encountered it crouched outside my door, on the stone wall. As i leaned to take the picture it jumped away. It was about an inch wide/long. It was light brown in color with a small body very long thin legs. This is very scanty information I know. But could you possibly tell me if this type of spider/found in my area could be poisonous?
This spider was maybe 2 inches long with the legs, the body is really big. The body had thin stripes black and white, it had brown fangs. The underneath was mostly the same as the back. I live in Mid Michigan and it was outside today Nov 01 2008. It is unseasonably warm today though about 67.
I work in the oil fields in Fellows, Ca 93224. We found this spider being carried by our shop cat. Can you identify it please? THe first picture is of the bottom of the spider I believe, next from the top (we didn’t get too close!).
Thanks,
Ace Pump Inc
This is the 4th or 5th spider just like this that I have killed in my house (Winter Springs, FL) in the last 6 months. Looks like a brown recluse to me, but I can’t be sure. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Ben
I live in northeast of Detroit in Michigan & was “winterizing” my flower beds when I suddenly I saw this round beige body of a spider with a lighter white cross on it’s back. The legs are striped, & about a 1 inch long. It rolled itself into a ball, but it had been crawling in/on my hosta plants. I was cutting it down for the winter & I’m guessing this thing bit me or did something, because all of a sudden I felt like I was on fire around my head, neck & arms. I immediately turned brilliant red under my chin & my entire neck. I cannot visably see a bite anywhere, but it’s nearly 6 hours later & I’m still a little itchy. Any ideas?
I was in my bathroom when this spider came down right in front of me. It made me jump lol but I managed to catch it in a bottle. I live in the mountains of Colorado.
I’ve found two of these spiders in my house this week. They’ve never been here before. I haven’t seen a web. I live in Maryland. I can’t identify them, and I hope that you can. I’m worried that they’ll bite my dogs.
I have found a brown spider with a black butt that has horizontal white stripes. It is fairly small, I have to look very closly to see the stripes. I have seen 3 of them in my home. One actually crawled out from inside my sons diaper so I am ver worried about this being a poisonous spider. I live in Camp Pendleton, ca where there is a fair share of poisonous spiders that sometimes do make there way into my house. I can not find a picture of this spider anywhere. Please help if you know what this is.
I saw a huge yellow-black spider in the yard a while ago. when it was streched it was about the lenght of my finger.
is it venomous and what is the specie called?
I found this spider on my garage this morning (6am) what is it? I just left it there and didn’t kill it. I have two dogs, if they got a spider bite would it kill them?
Thanks
Caf
Hey i found this spider in October in my backyard, on our barn (close to wooded area) in Oregon, Illinois. I looked online and the closest thing i found was the marbled spider, except this one looks somewhat different. Please help identify it because im very curious as to find out what kind it is.
This is for Kimberly post #666 and Armando post #676 It looks to me to be a wood louse spider. They primarly feed on wood lice. That is why they have such big fangs, so that they can perice through the hard shell of the wood lice. Google wood louse spider and you will see more pics just like the spider you have.
Eddie S. # 420 and Laura # 462 Looks like a brown widow, they have the same features as a black widow, but they are just different in color. The hour glass on their belly is a yellow to yellow orange color. And Laura those white balls look like her eggs, that is why she does not leave her web. Hope that helps!
# 87 and # 190, if you google Brown Widow spiders that is exactly what they look like. Their legs can be two colors which might depend and the age of the spider. And it also says that Brown widows look just like a Black widow spider just brown with a yellow to yellow orange color hour glass on the belly. Hope this help!
My wife photographed this spider on our front porch. Kinda reminds me of the photos of camel spiders, but we live in Washington state so it would have to be part of the same family. Any help identifying it would be helpful, and any info about it’s nature or level of danger would be great too.
The pictured spider has been hanging outside my apartment window for a couple of weeks now. It spends it time either in the upper corner of the window sill (appears to be resting out of the sun) or in the center of its web. Sometimes when it is resting and I open my window shade, it races to the center of its web and takes what appears to be a defensive position, raising its two front legs toward me slightly. It’s body is slightly larger than a nickle. When I opened the window to snap some pictures (below), it seemed to take a defensive position again. I looked away for a second and it had moved. At first, I irrationally thought it was in my apartment, of course, trying to sneak up and attack me. But, then I noticed that some insect had flown into its web and it was busy preparing its meal (shown in one of the pictures).
I’m not certain what kind of spider this is. Does anyone have any ideas?
I live in the SF Bay area in California.
Thank you
I was on your website and was hoping that maybe you could tell me what kind of spider this was, brown widow? The pics aren’t great but hopefully you can tell.
My parents live in Central Flordia right outside the Ocala National Forest and found this guy on their front door. I can’t find anything about it and they would like to know what it is! It’s fuzzy and black with three white spots on it’s back forming the points of a triangle.
for Heather re;#738
this spider is in the family of orb weavers.none of these have “medicaly significant” venom,but can inflict a rather painful
bite. red spot with burning itch,and posible minor swelling.
for David H re:#737
this spider is called a cross spider,a member of the orb weaver family
sal, #87 i believe, i have the exzct same spiders living outside my home, and i also live in southern ca, along the coast. they are rather terrifying if i say so myself. if anyone knows what they are please help!
ok there has been a large spider that set up shop on my porch for about 2 months now and i dont know whether to kill it or not… its starting to get realy cold and im afraid that its going to try to get in the house once the food gets scarce and try to eat us! It is a brownish tanish color, has long legs and a very large round abdomin. Im from massachusetts so it has to be something indigenous to the boston area.Ive looked for pictures of the stupid thing but i cant find any. Can some one please tell me if its dangerous… i have a 10 month old daughter and im afraid of what will happen if she gets bitten! Help me!
THANKYOU! -JESSICA
Just wondering what type of spider this is. Was climbing the basement wall when i took the picture. I thought maybe the ringed legs or weird spotty coloring would make it a bit easier to find online, no such luck yet. Not so worried since its dead now but I am interested in knowing. I live in south-central Minnesota.
Thanks,
Dan
My friend and I noticed a large, and scary looking, spider outside her kitchen window and we can’t seem to find out what exactly it is. We live in Southern California between the coast and the hills. The spider is light brown in color with slightly darker brown strips on it’s legs. It has a Large protruding abdomen that is slightly green in color and approximately 1/2 in. in size. Please help us identify this spider.
did anyone ever find out whaqt kind of spider that is #712? a lot of those have been showing up in my apt. lately.
My spiders look exactly like black widows but have a thin yellow stripe on the back (dorsal) side and a yellow/reddish rough hourglass on belly. I live in Boise, Idaho and have moved into a new home. This is the second of this type of spider I found.
I came home yesterday and found a spider on my coat rack. I’ve never seen one like it before, so I want to find out what kind it is and if it’s dangerous, because I’ve been freaking out since then, shaking every item of clothing before I put it on, taking a good look at every piece of furniture before sitting on it, wondering if there are any more. My boyfriend and I we’re so panicked when we found it, that, even though it showed no inclination to running away, instead of thinking logically and taking a photo of it, we just squished it with a broomstick as fast as we could. So, since there is no visual evidence, I’ll describe it for you and maybe you can help me out.
Here we go:
Location: I live in Novi Sad, Serbia, which is a country in Central Eastern Europe, surrounded by Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. I don’t know if the spider I saw is native to my country, or if it might have somehow been carried here. Poisonous spider are not common in the northern part of Serbia, where I live.
Anatomy: It had a relatively round body with no distinctive head. I think I just saw a pair of black eyes on the front of it. It’s front legs were folded close to it’s body and cerrated in the back. Couldn’t see it’s hind legs.
Colour: Milky white with no markings present. The legs and pincers were light brownish.
Size: It’s body was just under 2cm (which is about 4/5 of an inch) in length and width. Couldn’t tell you how long it’s legs were, because they were folded so close to it’s body, but I don’t think they were much longer than the body itself. The pincers, I think, were about 4mm.
Other info: It was sitting perfectly still on a black coat (not the most ingenious of camouflage) when we found it. There was just one thin strand of web between it’s sleeves. I haven’t found any more. When we squashed the poor thing, it’s body squirted out a thin, gooey substance. From what I could tell, it was about the density of human spit, perhaps a tad thicker, beige in colour with the tiniest elements of red.
I’ve looked at lots of spider photos online and none of the spiders I’ve seen fits this description. Crab spiders come close, but their eyes extend above the head - this one had them in it’s head/body. Is this creature a spider at all? Might it have been a baby of a bigger kind? If anyone can help, please do!! My mum and I don’t do to well with creepy clawlies, and I have an 11-year-old dog that wouldn’t enjoy a bite either…
I found this spider in my swimming pool in Northern California. Is it a tarantula? or something else? It’s approx. 2″.
Hi,
Look Im from New Zealand, and from what i believe Funnel Web spiders are from Australia…. Well just last week i received a pst from a friend who lives Otaki about an Hour and half drive from Wellington City here in New Zealand, and the Pxt was of a Funnel Web spider, and she claims to say there are many more in their garden and garage shed… I have deleted the pst by accident and am waiting on her to send me another one, then i can post it up. Can someone tell me is this possible that we could have these things here in NZ…
Jesus #742 The picture of the spider in #87 and #190 is a brown widow. If you look at the belly of the spider there is an orange hour glass on it. It looks just like a black widow except it is brown. If you google Brown Widow spiders that is exactly what they look like. Their legs can be two colors which might depend and the age of the spider. And it also says that Brown widows look just like a Black widow spider it is just brown with a yellow to yellow orange color hour glass on the belly. Also the size of the spider depends on its age.There are several differnt types of widows, not just black ones. Hope this help!
Greg K. #657 I think your spider is a spinybacked orbweaver. Google it and see what you think. Hope this helps!
Chris #727 this looks like a brown widow. Look at the belly of the spider and see if there is an hour glass on it. It can be anywhere form yellow to orange to a yellowish orange. That is what the pictures look like to me. Hope this helps you!
I found these spiders by the washer and dryer. They were on the floor in a towel together. I can’t seem to identify them. If anyone could help me that would be great! The last picture is of the bigger spiders belly, which is a cream color with some brown spots. The smaller spiders belly is the same color as its back. I also found a black widow the week before. I live in Northeast Colorado.
Ann # 747 if the spider has a hour glass on its belly then it’s a widow spider, but sometime the hour glass doesn’t connect. There are several types of widows. The hour glass can range from yellow to orange. They also have different markings on their backs. Google brown widow and see what you find. Hope this helps!
Duane. Don’t kill those guys… they appear to be wolf spiders. Wolf spiders look alot scarier than they actually are. Spiders aren’t gonna track you down and getcha. They tend to stay away from humans if they possibly can. I have spiders come into my house all the time and I just catch them and put them back outside. They come into the house when they are thirsty most of the time. Also, they don’t like it when it’s cold either. But of course houses are optimal places to hide out and make a home. Just keep an eye out. Make sure you keep your house clean and straightened up and there will be less of a chance of hiding places. If you find a spider that you can’t identify and aren’t sure of, try to bring it down the road a few miles and drop it off in a wooded area if possible. If it bit someone, put it in a container to keep in case you need to show a medical professional. Spiders are crucial to our environment.
#278 Tom L. Looks like a brown widow. That is a perfect orange hour glass on the spiders belly. There are several different types of widow spiders. Black, brown, red, and so on. Hope this helps everyone!
Just stopping in to leave a few comments. I live in WNY Rochester, and Buffalo to be exact. I have been reading into spider bites for a while and ways to really be able to tell what type of spider may be. I think here Rachel #22, people have said that the spider you found was a Brown Recluse Spider, if so…it would have what is called a “violin” marking on its abdomen starting towards the head (where the legs connect)…called this basically because its almost in the shape of a violin. I am very curious to weather or not this picture you have is actually a Brown Recluse, because I have been living in the Rochester and Buffalo area my whole life. I do not know for sure if the Brown Recluse is a NYS native spider. Either way be cautious and careful. I love spiders but you need to always be careful when handling one which you may not be sure what type it is. Great site guys!!! and tons of Great information!!!
Will you please tell me what kind of spider is in post 59? I have been unable to determine what it is.
Thanks
Hello we found this spider in the Maryland/Delarware region. My girlfriend thinks that it is a Wolf Spider…..but we see it all the time and its probably just a normal spider. Please tell me what it is thanks…
Would someone be able to help me identify the spider in post #732.
Thanks again
I found a spider and it is the same spider Steve H #418 sent a picture of. What kind is it and is it dangerish
Zack # 760 I am trying to figure out what the spider is in #732 for you. I think that it may be a Araneus trifolium, which is a Shamrock Orb Weaver. Here are some pictures that I found of it, they look pretty darn close. Google it and let me know what you think. Hope this helps ya!
just wondering what kind of spider this is, I live in St. Kitts in the caribbean if that helps to narrow it down a bit.
i found a tiny brownish/red and white spider in my kitchen floor behind a bag of dog food. the pattern is like zig zag white and ther brownish/red color. i have never seen anything like it before.
Hello I am from Tucson, Arizona and trying to figure out what spider this is I have looked everywhere but have no clue to what it might be. The closest I get to an image of is a Banded Argiope spider but this one here has no real color on the body except underneath. The top of the body looks like it has a pitch fork design drawn on it with pencil. I tried to get a good picture of it so you can all see. Its body is the same size as a quarter. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.
the top of the spider I tried to get the pitchfork design in but dont look like it turned out too good.
the bottom of the spider.
My HS students found a spider outside this morning. (Nov 14 - north-east Ohio near Cleveland.) It is about an inch long has brown hairy legs with black bands, a red body with silver markings. I will try to send a pic later. Any ideas?
Sonda #62
its a Wood Louse Spider im pretty sure
She was eating a Ladybeetle. We’re not sure what she is. We were doing some work on my Mother’s home and found her. If you would like more pictures of spiders for your collection. I have quite a few. Thanks for your help.
Donna
I’m not sure why I’m doing this (I absolutely hate spiders), but I saw this amazing bugger outside my apartment. Its web spans over 2 meters, the distance between the steps leading to my 2 story apartment and a neighboring tree! Any ideas on what it is? I live in Tokyo. Thanks!
Can you identify I have foung these spiders in my closet, on my living room wall, under my couch inside my TV and outside WHAT IS IT>> HELP THANKS I have found 14 so far
I live in NY… Long Island specifically. I found this spider in my basement and I’m stumped on what it is. It’s about the size of a quarter and pretty agressive. It’s brown and has lighter brown stripes on its legs. It’s not furry and doesn’t have any special markings other then the stripes, top or bottom. It has two fang like protrusions sticking out from its head. I’m pretty sure it was hiding in the wood pile outside the basement door and snuck in when retreiving wood. No one was bitten luckly and we currently have it in a tall glass jar with a piece of paper on top. Any idea as to what this could be???
Thanks!
Hi thier I’m from Colorado I’m looking up about spider’s because lately I’ve been finding a lot in my house not sure of size but they are pretty small thier light brown long leg’s and a big belly just like black widow’s but smaller and brown with no hour glass,it’s more like darker brown spot’s thier web is very silky,sticky and thier mainly up on the cieling corner’s unsure if thier in the vent’s must be cause after I kill a few by next week thier’s another batch and they also hide in only one closet that’s by the door. If any body know’s any thing about these spider’s please let me know. My next misson is to bomb the house!
I found the spider on attached picture, do you know what kind of spider is?
Thank you
Hi Can you please identify this spider? I have fpund over 15 of thrm around my house this year alone on the walls walking across the floor under my couch,even inside my TV Please Help?