Help Identify a Spider
Need help identifying a spider? If so, then take a look at our collection of spider pictures to see if it looks like yours.
You can also look through the comments below to see if any of the images match your spider.
Don’t see your spider? feel free to upload your photo here and we’ll attempt to id it, and if we can’t, then perhaps one of the visitors can after we post it.
I live in Seattle and found spiders I hadn’t seen before as I was moving a woodpile in my backyard. The top half of their bodies are reddish with blue tips on their legs. The bottom half of their bodies are dark brown or black with yellow markings. I have included a picture below:
The larger ones would be able to fit on a quarter. Anyone able to help me identify them and know if they harmless or not? Thanks.
I dont have a photo but many times at my house we have seen spiders they are not huge but they are about the size of a nickle and im not sure if they are black or brown because iam so scared that i kill them. They are not really skinny like a daddy long leg. My question is how do i kinow a spider bite because today i noticed a huge lump on my daughters arm and it has tiny bumps in one spot on the lump shes not really fussy but she says it hurts. How do i know if a spider bit her and should i take her to the doctor to see if it is posion
Summer 2007: Here is a photo I took of a spider that had spun it’s web between a bush and the side of my son’s house in Tyler, TX (close to Dallas). It did not bite anyone, just hanging out and catching insects. Everyone was advocating for the spider’s right to live, except my daughter-in-law, who is deathly afraid of spiders and wanted it killed. Looks like it lost part of one of its legs.
I’m going to guess the full length of the spider to be about 2.5 to 3 inches.
S. B. McFather
Update from Karisa (thanks Karisa!):
This is most likely a Saint Andrew’s Cross Spider
Argiope keyserlingi
Family Araneidae (Araneomorphae)
See: http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/st_andrews_cross.htm for more information
I live in Northern Arizona. I found a spider about the size of a dime. It was black on most of it’s body, the butt was all red. Not a shiny red a dull red. I am just wondering what kind of spider this is. Thanks!
Hello,
I found these 5 spiders in my backyard (playa del rey, ca) and would like help identifying them.
Are these pictures of the brown widow? Are they poisonous? The spiders are outside our babies on the top windows. Please, if you can help ID these spider, please do so. Thanks!
Dee
my boyfriend got bit by a spider and i can not identify it through the internet….the size of a half dollar…. light brown….furry..with black stripes across it’s back…swelling has occured at the sight and beyond at a downward curve heading towars his right pec.. had a fever for a minute…sweeling has gone down…but has spread out red ring around site… do’nt know what to do …please respomd soon he is a trucker and is leaving soon
I too have found a spider while working in my flower gardens and grass. It is the same as Christy #20 has found. She lives in New Lenox, Il and I live in Litchfield, Ohio. Anyone have a clue what it is? Poisonous? Harmless? It also has two Lines of yellow markings on its underside and brown rings onitslegs!
April in #28 .. I’m not sure where you live, but I just moved from my sisters house in S.E Michigan last week to live back at Ft. Drum, NY. The day before I moved, I killed one of those in her basement, and it scared me so badly that I looked it up. The closest identifying picture I could find was that it was a Parson spider, and while it was harmless, some people could have a mild allergic-type reaction to it. If you type in Parson spider, a pic should come up.
But – I am no professional – just freaked out by the recent large spiders in my life ….. I mean, I am post #41 on here!
April B.
I’ve have found these in our home at Fort Drum, NY – it’s Northern New York. I’ve asked the maintainance people what kind are native to the area, and they don’t think that they have big spiders here.
I keep finding these in the hallway, heading toward my daughter’s room, which horrifies me. I’ve now sprayed both the interior and exterior of our lpace with two different kinds of spray … I’m hoping one of them works.
I have included a quarter in the picture of the spider so that you can get an idea of the size of this guy!
My daughter is only 15 months old. I’d hate to have her find one of these before me, and found out that it’s poisonous once she’s already been bitten.
Thank you in advance,
April
In relation to the question of identification of the spider in the picture from Micheal Patrick, That is an Argiope. Or what some call a yellow garden spider. Or a yellow garden orb weaver.
#7, #8, #26, #29, maybe #37
I captured a spider like the ones in those photos and brought it to a friend of mine, who is an entomologist. He identified it as an orb weaver. He assures me that they aren’t dangerous, just nuisances when they get inside (which he says is rare). He also said their bites aren’t poisonous. We believe one bit my sister (although she didn’t see it), it left her with two little marks close to each other, the skin was red and her arm felt funny the next day. He said that sounded like a severe reaction.
@ Joe Pierucci: if your wife’s bite gets worse or any other symptoms show up, take her to the doctor. I live in New York, so you might be dealing with a different sort of spider.
to #21 Sarah
i think your spider is a harmless orb weaver im not so sure u shoud find other referances
Are there any sites that identify a spider by a written description? We found an interesting spider we have never seen before. It has a red back with white spots in a cross shape. Its legs are banded pale yellow and black. We cannot see its abdomen. We live in PA and it is fairly cool now. about 77 degrees. Any knowledge about it would be appreciated.
To #7,26,and 29. My wife was bitten this morning by what I belive might be the same type of spider showen by Donna in pic #7; she has not experianced much symptoms other than redish skin around area and a small bump with a simi stinging pain through out the day; Ido not hav a picture to show but I do Have it infront of me (dead of course!, Thank god I didn’t bite her!) have any of of you got any anserws yet please let me know, I am kinda of worried (but dont’t let her know that!) Thanks, Joe Bakersfield CA,
This spider is living on the door to my building in Brooklyn. First noticed he/she in August. Web and spider are getting very big and I need to be quite near the web to unlock the door –so now I’m wondering — what kind of spider do I have?
Thanks!
Leslie
just wondering if anyone could help id a spider we found at work.
I live in pasco,washington.today our housekeeper caught a spider in one of our exam rooms and we are debating whether it is a hobo spider.it looked like it but the difference that it had was that its eyes did not match this one had two on top and four on the bottom close together not separated.overall size was about a quarter and had large palps.we looked at it with a magnifying glass.can anyone help in the id.thank you
I’ve gotten bit by something on my toe on the bottom side … It started out yesterday like a little bluish dot now its half an inch in diameter not really red or built up with pus but I cant hardly walk and it hurts really bad even when I’m not standing on it.
I live in the western new york area as well, and I am almost positive that I have seen recluse spiders around my house. They look almost identical to the pictures I have seen, but I noticed that these spiders are not native much past ohio. I have been researching this because my house is infested with at least 15 types of spiders, and I have three small children. No pics, but #22 up there is really close. Does anyone think maybe there is a possibility of migration due to climate changes over the past few decades??
Hello,
I live in Northern Kentucky and would like help identifying the spider in the picture below.
Any information would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Update from Karisa (thanks Karisa!):
This is most likely a Saint Andrew’s Cross Spider
Argiope keyserlingi
Family Araneidae (Araneomorphae)
See: http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/st_andrews_cross.htm for more information
dar rache[#22} i also think this looks like a recluse spider. My friend jhon was bitten by a recluse, and had to b hospitalized on a very strong antibiotic for 3 days. if you have a child at home, i recommend getting a definite conformation of the species from someone who knows for sure. also check your child every morning for a small reddish mark, that looks like a mosquito bit. if such a mark begins to open a ooze pus, go to a doctor immediately, i might be a brown recluse bite. hope you r well, jenn
Hi,
My kids were out at the pool and they saw a black spider with red spots on its back. Is it poisonous? We live near Richmond, VA. Any ideas? It didn’t have an hour glass shape so I know it wasn’t a black widow. Thanks!
I, too, am interested in what the spider in #7 is. I am currently looking at FOUR like that one (one is on the outside of my back sliding door, and the other 3 are on a web outside my dining room window.
Can someone please tell me what kind of spider this is? It is black with white stripe down the back. I’ve found several in my house, mostly on the ceiling & on the walls. But 2 I have found in a sink.
I haven’t found any near a web. Here is a picture included below:
this morning i woke up and i noticed a half dollar red area on my knee. i can see two holes and it hurts/itches. The swelling hasnt gone down, it has gotten worse. I also noticed flu like symptoms today (headache, chills, slight fever)… however, i was sick a couple weeks ago so it may be from that? im just worried this bite may be serious.. i live in indianapolis and i dont know what kind of spiders are around here. The red area is also extremely hot to the touch. any help is appreciated!
I have found the same spider that is in article number 7.. i was wondering what is was? Thanks
Rachel,#22 The spider looks like a brown recluse.
They don’t live in NY,but it’s possible that it came in a package. I hope it is not a RECLUSE. WARNING, if it is a brown recluse,it is one of the most dangerous spiders in the U.S.A. Children under 8 can die from a reluse bite. I think I have been bitten by a recluse too, but I am investingating everything. Better to take precaution!
Compare with pictures of the brown recluse to see if it looks like the spider you saw. Recluses do not make webs ( they are hunters) and walk around. I do not want to scare you, but you have a child and better to be safe that sorry. I hope the spider you saw is not a recluse, but in NY no one is familiar with the dangers.
A former New Yorker who lives in Florida who might have been bitten by a recluse spider you saw.
Can someone please tell me what kind of spider this is? It is black with white stripe down the back. I’ve found several in my house, mostly on the ceiling & on the walls. But 2 I have found in a sink.
I haven’t found any near a web. Here is a picture:
HI,
I witnessed an incident in the daycare with one of the toddlers. She came to school for two days very cranky. On the second day she was very feverish. Upon examining her I noticed a knot on her knee. I called the mother, who informed me that the child had been bitten by a spider.
She also stated that she took the child to the clinic. They told her give her benedryl and tylenol. On the third day the child would not stop crying and still had fever. We called the parent and informed her to take the child back to the doctor. The parent picked the child up and took her to Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC.
They found out the spider had somehow left larva in the child’s knee and the eggs were growing in the child’s knee! She was immediately taken to surgery to get the egg sac out of her knee. How did this happen?
Daycare attendant
We live in western New York (Rochester area) my husband found this spider darting under our bed around 10pm. We have NEVER seen a spider this big in NY and are wondering if you could tell us what it is. We have a daughter that is almost 2, and am a little nervous about her running around here and bed time (for all of us) tonight :-)
Thanks, Rachel
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone can help me Identify this spider. It came out from under my fish tank and I’ve never seen one like this before.
I live in Washington State if that helps and Kennewick .
Thanks Sarah
Hi,
My mother found this odd spider while trimming the hedges in our backyard. I have taken a picture and i was wondering if you could identify it for us because we have no idea what type it is. We live in New Lenox, IL.
Picture of the spider below. It’s body has white and yellow strips that look like bands with more yellow towards to back.
Thanks,
Christy
I wish I had taken a photo. I found a spider yesterday ( I live in Oregon) as I was removing dead foliage from a hanging flower basket. The web was not well constructed in the hanging chains, but when I got the plant out, I found what looked like a spider egg sac. I opened it with a stick, and inside was a quite large bodied black spider with two yellow dots side by side and a horizontel line underneath (kind of like a smile face). Markings were yellow on shiny black body(on the back of the spider.) When I tried to flip him over to look at the underneath side, he was quite defensive and reared up – legs or whatever those front things are were slightly hairy. Underneath of spider had no markings whatsoever. Sorry for no photo, any idea what kind of spider this is? He was kind of spooky looking to me.
Okay this morning i woke up and went into my bathroom to find a huge spider on my daugters dolls head anyways i have never seen a spider anything like it. I don’t have a picture but i will describe what the thing looked like the best that i can. It was about a inches in length it was brown and had like a white hour glass looking line on the but end on the spiders body and the legs where long but not as long as a brown recluse spiders are. If there is anybody that can help me please post your information so i know weather i should be worried about this species of spider. Thanks Becky
I am sorry but You guys should really go to the doctor! ESPECIALY YOU with kids! if you dont want to go thats one thing but dont risk your kids life cause you are unsure!
I got bit on the back on my upper thigh on saturday.I never saw the spider and tried to look in my jeans but i never found it. It never really itched but that is how i orginally found the bite. It started out with just a knot with a little redness. And know its to the point to where it hurt to sit down or even walk. And the red circle has now grown to be about as large as a coffee coaster, with a large knot in the middle. I can see the spot where the spider bite me but other than that it is just red. Does any one maybe know what kind of spider it was. And how long this pain will go on? Thanks
my little boy is 1 yrs old and got bite by spider and the spider has 8 legs,like a white-ish head, brown back with yellow spot like things on it, and the legs are yellow-black-yellow on all and in each of the middle of the legs have fuss on them. found it in the back yard on the fence with a big web, my sons finger is swollen and red, looks like the circulation is cut off. please tell me what kind of spider this is.
3 days ago I noticed a bite on my daughter’s leg it looked like a moquito bite so I didn’t worry. Yesterday I noticed it was the size of a nickle and there were 5 others. 2 were half the size of a dime and the others were the size of a piss ant bite. Tonight after bath I noticed 2 more. I am not sure what they are. I have never seen a spider bite in real life. To discribe them would be to say that the 5 bigger ones have almost perfect round openings that range from 1/8 inch to almost half an inch. they are flat and she said they itch sometimes. I have not caught her scratching. Sorry no photo cant find my digital. Please try and help anyway.
My husband got bit on the hand near the knuckles and he got bit early in the morning and it was swollen and red and he said his hand and arm are numb. We live in Southeastern Oklahoma and we have alot of spiders in our house but I had only seen a few brown recluse and black widow bites when I worked in the hospital but I can feel the bite marks it left but my husband said it hurt to touch it . I am not sure what kind of bite it is.
Hello, over night i think i was bitten by a spider, though im not sure if it was moquitos. I have 5 bites and only 2 of them itch. 1 of them are on my finger and is swollen and a little pinkish not dark at all though. i’ve had these for 2 days now. Please help, thank you.
Hey, I woke up this morning and went to put my socks on, what did i find a bunch of brown marks on the bottom of my foot. They dont hurt…yet. I cant send a pic cuase i dont have a camera, but please help. I live in southern Alabama.
Dear Javier (#9)
Just so you know, only 4 or 5 species of spiders that are are venomous enough for there venom to cause more than a small red area arond the wound.
i have an injury that looks like a bite. it hurts constantly, i have had it for about three days and its swollen. are there any types of spider that can be in a house and are not poisonous? I would really like to know.
Hello,
I am trying to identify the spider included in the picture below:
This was on a large (2′-3′ circular) web outside my house. The web was vertical and the spider only came out at night.
I’m located about an hour west of Boston, Ma. and the spider itself is about the size of a quarter, maybe slightly smaller.
If anyone can assist in identifying it, I’d appreciate it!
Thanks,
John
Thank you,
John
I found this spider hanging on its threads on the side of my house outdoors. I took a picture that has been included below.
I looked at web sites but did not find anything that looked like this. Multicolored legs, kind of black and yellow striped. It appeared to be eating something that was caught on its silk threads. Can you identify?
Donna McKune
This looks like a common Wolf Spider – I don’t know what it’s real name is. These are helpful spiders, and are usually not aggressive. However, if cornered, they will rise up and look pretty ferocious. They are not poisonous, but I wouldn’t want to get bitten by one. If you find any, just scoop them up on a piece of paper and toss them out, they prefer the outdoors anyway.
Duane, those look very much like wolf spiders. Not sure how large they are, but if they are under 2 inches, they probably are wolf spiders. They are not web builders and usually try to enter warm places around Autumn. Hope that helps.
I found a site that made me think they COULD be grass spiders. In any case, NOT brown recluses if you are worried.
i found this spider outside making a web on the window. it has red legs with blakish brownish sriped part of its leg im looking at it write know it is really awesome to see a spider make its web and the color of its butt is brown a little bit of black a little bit furry not much can u tell me if its poisinous? sorry i can’t leave a pic i dont have a camera.
i got bit yesterday and im not sure weather or not it is a spider bite or maybe a mosquito. i noticed it late afternoon. It’s about a 1 cm bump on my shoulder, it didnt hurt at all when i first saw it, a few hours later is was extremely sensitive to the touch and i woke up this morning to find it it now purple. does this sound like a harmful spider bite?
I do not have a picture becuase our camera is out of batteries. My daughter yesterday had a bite mark that looked like a mosquito bite and about 6 hours later her wrist and hand swelled and the bite mark was opened. 4 hours later her hand looked like a blown up latex glove and very red. we took her in got antibotics and benedryl 10 hours later after 2 doses of each it is just as bad. I found two more bites on her left arm and 4 more on her right leg but they have not swelled like her hand. She is now on a steroid to see if this will help if not she will be admitted. I have no clue what bit her if it was at night or first thing inthe morning by a spider or by a mosquito I will try to post some pics within the next 24 hours but please HELP!!
Hello,
In the past recent week I have spotted no less than 4 of thee spiders in the pictures below.
I have killed all of them because I just do not know what they are. I have looked at your website but I can not see any other spiders that look close to these at all. Can you please help? Thanks.