Texas Spiders Photo Gallery by Tom Murray at pbase.com

Texas Spiders

I only have a handful of spider pictures from Texas, but many of the species in my Arachnid gallery that were photographed in other parts of the country, are native to Texas.
https://pbase.com/tmurray74/spiders

Silver Argiope - Argiope argentata	Silver Argiope - Argiope argentata	Arrow-shaped Micrathena - Micrathena sagittata	Silver Argiope - Argiope argentata
Western Spotted Orbweaver - Neoscona oaxacensis	Green Lynx Spider - Peucetia viridans (on her egg case)	Gasteracantha cancriformis - Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver	Hersiliidae - Mexican Two-tailed Spider - Neotama mexicana
Larinia directa	Orchard Spider - Leucauge venusta	Orchard Spider - Leucauge venusta	Metepeira comanche
Silver Argiope - Argiope argentata.	Gray Wall Jumper - Menemerus bivitattus (male)	Gray Wall Jumper - Menemerus bivittatus (female)

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Catherine		31-Mar-2018 01:19
In the garden I saw a brown spider with one single thin gold band around the middle. Not sure if it went all the way around as it did not turn over : ) What type of spider is this? Thank you!

Heather		11-Apr-2017 05:39
Please help me. I have been searching the internet for a spider thats been in my room. I had a baby jumping spider living in here and this other spider stalked him for days finally killing him. I am so upset this is the second jumping spider that has been killed by this one spider. I need to know what kind of spider this is. He was very agressive with the jumper, following him night and day, not letting him alone. My jumper went into his tent home he made in the corner of the room, there it was the other spider snagged him from the tent and ate him. Now that the baby jumper is gone there are TWO of these strange spiders, one has taken over the tent that belonged to the jumper and hasnt come out all night. The other is staying around the tent pacing back and forth. They are exactly the same spiders. They are solid black with long light colored legs. 8 legs and what looks to be large fangs in the front that are black. Please help me ..

Ethan		25-Oct-2013 22:21
Some spiders can be bad but leave them alone and they'll be nice to you

Caden		25-Oct-2013 22:19
Spiders are good and bad but why would you want to kill the good ones they eat the bad creatures

Harley		25-Oct-2013 22:16
These spiders are a beautiful kind all though I've never seen one with a shell on it's back.

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Shay		22-Jul-2012 01:51
Trying to identify small spider that we are seeing the our home in Denton, Texas. They are small, black spiders with flat bodies and front legs/fangs are about 3 cm apart and 3 cm from back to front. Does anyone know what kind these are?

Guest		14-Jul-2012 22:19
Susan, the addolescent Southern Black Widow looks similar to what you have described. Please don't be fooled by its deceptive markings, she will turn black when mature, and is just a dangerous as the Western Black Widow.

Susan Hedricks		12-Jun-2012 23:28
Hey we found a spider that looks like a black widow. but was red and gold on the back with a beautiful pattern and a hour glass on the bottom . any ideals?

Guest		16-May-2012 23:12
have u seen a dark spider with a yellow stripe on its back

fanci		21-Mar-2012 04:23
my favorite spider is the fuzzy black and white spider i would have in my house eating flies and such. so cool and harmless. i would like to know what they are are called. i have no photo.i think they are cute looking if that helps.

Mae Smith		15-Mar-2012 20:05
There was a med size brown spiderwith a lighter line mark upper back and dark brown with lith mark with light mark around that oblong mark on back lower. Brown legs . I sprayed in my room but am afraid of possible babies somewhere. this is a healthy spider.Could you tell me if ypu know what type it might be and if the bite would be serious if that happened?

Guest		05-Feb-2012 01:33
Can someone help me identify this spider? It is medium sized, has black coloration, and has a large abdomen. I'm located in Houston,Texas. Please help me. I have a large family. I have a cousin who's 2 years old and 2 dogs, and I'm afraid they can get seriously injured if the spider is poisonous. Thank you.

Guest		05-Feb-2012 01:32
Can someone help me identify this spider? It is medium sized, has black coloration, and has a large abdomen. I'm located in Houston,Texas. Please help me. I have a large family. I have a cousin who's 2 years old and 2 dogs, and I'm afraid they can get seriously injured if the spider is poisonous. Thank you.

Nicole		27-Nov-2011 09:41
I Really need some help identifying this thing!!! I am scared of spiders... but this thing wanted in my home... couldn't bring myself to kill it so I squeak & do sitting version of creeps out dance I COLLECTED IT IN A LARGE PINK BOWL & dumped it nearest to the street in the grass of a neighbors yard. (Feel ashamed about that but not about not killing it.) Ok. Enough about me. IT, time!!! Large, black, didn't have much hair, (almost looked plastic-y) black, very-very slow (but it is very cold outside? Oh, weather wise: it rained/poored last night as well and there are plenty of large crevasses near our front porch not happy face about that) 8 Legs total both main body parts were about 1 3/4-2 inches. With legs it was about 2 1/3 inches in total. It's not a tarantula, it was too skinny, no hair & doesn't fit the profile from my novice spider knowledge. I have several photos I'd love to send to you or post somewhere. It came out at night. I really need to know what it is. Sorry for the scatter-brained writing, it is 46 degrees out in San Antonio, TX (very cold for us here) and I'm watching outside for any others!

Mike		21-Oct-2011 00:53
Hi, When I lived in Laredo, Texas many years ago I used to go into the undeveloped brush land around our housing complex after a rain and see hundreds of small "furry" spiders, that appeared to be young spiders, that were red and white. I have always wondered what species they were. Any idea? Thanks

Guest		08-Oct-2011 16:43
We just found what looks like a "Brown Widow" in my grandaughter's room. Description:6 Long Legs;small head;bubble body;6 white/beige dots on the back can you confirm or do you need more?

Douglas		24-Aug-2011 10:26
I need help identifying a spider. I have only seen this spider at night but I got a pretty good look at it with my flashlight. I live in Western NC. It is an orange a silver spider that glows in the dark when a light in shown on him. In addition to this, he has an orange arrow that turns fluorescent green when a light is shown on it and points down and is separated into three equal sections. The web is not circular, but has 14-15 sides. Any information I would appreciate. TY, Doug

Guest		08-Aug-2011 07:34
I just killed a shiny black spider in a web behind my toliet it looked alot like a black widow but instead of the red on it it had white markings does anyone know what kind of spider this could be Thank you for you time

jaime		08-Aug-2011 04:19
Hi, I saw this spider and was wondering what it could be. I couldn't find it in some pictures. It is has read head black middle and red end and a decent size. It ran very fast and was out in the day time. Any idea what it could be?

jaime		08-Aug-2011 04:19
Hi, I saw this spider and was wondering what it could be. I couldn't find it in some pictures. It is has read head black middle and red end and a decent size. It ran very fast and was out in the day time. Any idea what it could be?

nancy		06-Aug-2011 22:56
The tiny-bodied spider with very dainty legs is a completedly harmless (and very delicate) Daddy-Long-Legs.

deborah cline		27-Jul-2011 13:01
I have looked at every spider site that I can find, and I can't identify the type of spider that is in our home. Please help us! We live in a brand new construction in Central Arkansas. (Less than 3 months old) Every day I will find apx. 30 spiders. It looks much like the cellar spider but its legs are not as long. I always find new ones every single day (or hour). They are always just being very still on the baseboards. I wondered if maybe they came in with the new carpet, but carpet is not in the garage, and they are all over the garage, as well. Its body is smaller than the head of a pin, and its legs are as fine as a human nair. Very dainty! We are here until October when our own home is complete. Please help me to be able to help our family! Thank you!

Sly72		27-Jul-2011 04:48
I don't see anything here that sounds like the one in our garage. It only comes out at night. It lives in a long, tube-shaped thing that looks like a dirt-dauber nest, sort of...except it's just about the size of a large pencil and has a hole at the bottom end. And that's where he comes out from every night. He's mostly black, as far as I can tell. Probably not more than and inch and a half long. I've never seen a spider live in a nest like that...no web...we're in the East Texas Piney Woods. Any ideas???

Tammy		21-Jul-2011 22:41
I saw 2 very bright orange dime sized spiders with a flourescent green dot on it's body. Can you tell me what they are or have you seen them before? I should've taken a picture as i can't find them anywhere!

meish		17-Jun-2011 20:34
Last night I was looking out my padio door and looked at the porch light which was on and saw a quarter size shiny black spider with orange stripes on the legs crawling on a web. And I'm curious to know what kind of spider is it and if its dangerous to me or my family. Please email me if you have any info thank you

Luckybaby		30-May-2011 11:05
http://m.facebook.com/?w2m&_rdr#!/photo.php?fbid=148354395236483&id=100001857698714&refid=0 PLEASE TOM!!! HAVE NEW BABY..killed 2 Of these Bad boys this week. One NeXT TO THE CRIB..Looks like a HOBO...But I live in san antonio, Tx...so cant be. HeLP.....

Megahn		10-May-2011 02:03
I have been searching the internet for days for a spider with no luck. This is the first website I have found that focus seems to be on East Texas area. I have lived in the Lindale area, with the exception of a few months, my entire life. My husband & I have just moved into a new home in Van, Texas, near Cnaton.. we are right off Main St so we're in a busy, well lived area. Saturday night at about 11:30 I walked onto my back porch, I'm in an old mobile home, with a very well covered, wood porch, cnsider it a deck for the size of it. I had the light on & was checking on my dogs & turned around to walk inside, there was a HUGE spider slowly xrawling out of out of a rather large knothole [which btw any other knot holes would have been to small for this spider to fit] I'm deathly terrified of spiders & froze to my spot just watching it crawl to my back door almost as if it was trying to get inside, luckily a friend was over insie the house who is no afraid of spiders. I called her on the phone & she came out. She was shocked at the size as well never seeing one that size in nature. I begged her to kill it, which she wouldn't, instead she ran inside & grabbed a plastic bowl with a lid that didn't fit, she scooped it up quickily into the bowl & met me around in the front near th road. She wanted to get a good look at it with light, her personal up close description of the spider: body size [not including legs] was at least an inch long, the body was very bulbous [round], the coloring was a brownish color with a white stripe on its back, the legs were not as thick but close to the size of a pipe cleaner & they were close to its body unlike other spiders whose legs seem to sprawl out, the legs were a much lighter brown & the entire spider was covered in hairs, she couldn't get a good look at the face but she almost mistook the fangs for another set of legsuntil she realised that was too many legs. It sounds like a tarantula, until she went to put it on the road. Initially when she let it out of the bowl it slowly started to crawl towards us [I began hyperventilatng again] so she softly "flipped" it towards the road with the lid. The spider than flipped back onto its legs & proceeded to CHASE us. Mind you, she's not afraid of snakes spiders etc. & she screamed & turned & started to run up the driveway. It was extremely fast especially for a spider! I've read many many tarantula websites & none in this area seem to be aggressive, this is what scares me. I have a 3 year old & 2 dogs who are extremely protective. I have been terrified to go on the back porch & for that matter my front yard because now this viscious thing is out there!from what I've read & been told only venomous spiders will be aggressive towards humans. If anyone could please help me out! I need tok now if I'm dealing with something dangerous & need to get proffesionals like Terminex out here. Oh & if tarantulas like "desert areas" than they definantly don't like it here! I'm assuming its probably a burrower of some sort & would like a cool, dark enviroment seeing as the porch never gets any sun. Thank you in advance!

Guest		26-Apr-2011 20:41
hi my brother found a brown spider with a white strip on its head and we cannot figure it out what kind of spider it is so if u can help i would be greatful

Tiffany		07-Apr-2011 03:28
Hi, I am from Lufkin, Texas and in my bathroom there was a black spider, it had the same marking as a black widow but the hourglass was more of a white or gray color. I didn't kill it because I was still half asleep but now I am worried it may have been poisonous. Any ideas as to what it may have been would be much appreciated. Thanks

marvin		26-Jan-2011 23:21
Hello I was outside trying to get rid of our ant problem when a sugar white spider crawled above a pile of leaves I immediately killed it with spray and did not get a great look at it but I still wanted to see if anyone saw something familier to this.

Marie		20-Oct-2010 00:56
Hi, my mother found an unusual spider on her umbrella and it is now in a picle jar(my sister cought it) and I was wondering if you can help me. It is light brown/ tan in color has really long dead stick like legs and it's whole body is about the size of a dime and almost lookes like a Reese's penut butter cup in shape and the eyes are in a cluster at the front of it's head, it seems to be non-agressive and blends in well with dead sticks and grass. It would be nice if we knew what it was.

Marie		18-Oct-2010 18:21
Hi, my mother found an unusual spider on her umbrella and it is now in a picle jar(my sister cought it) and I was wondering if you can help me. It is light brown/ tan in color has really long dead stick like legs and it's whole body is about the size of a dime and almost lookes like a Reese's penut butter cup in shape and the eyes are in a cluster at the front of it's head, it seems to be non-agressive and blends in well with dead sticks and grass. It would be nice if we knew what it was.

Jamie		28-Sep-2010 22:10
I found a spider that i have never seen before if anyone can help me identify what kind it is. i killed it with spray and put it into a container (kept outide) so i can take it somewhere and find out what it is. It's head is oblong, flat, and white. It's body is oval, fat, outlined in yellow, maincolor is yellowish/brown with white spots on it. It's legs are the length of a female pinky finger, where the leg comes out from the body up to the first joint is cream colored, from that joint to the end of the leg it is black. If you have any information on this type of spider please email me i am mostly concerned if it is venomous or not. Thanks

Guest		24-Sep-2010 22:34
I found a brown spider with markings similar to a human rib pattern on its back. Any ideas on what kind of spider this might be?

Guest		24-Sep-2010 22:31
I have found a black small spider with orange rings on its legs and i was wondering if someone can Identify it cause i have not found it on the web yet

Jonna		18-Sep-2010 03:29
I caught a spider in my front porch.. never seen any spiders this big. it's generally black or very dark brown.. has hairs on its body and legs.. big pinchers.. i wonder what kind of spider it is.. someone pls tell me..

Kim		06-Sep-2010 02:08
Dear Tom My name is Kim. I live in Michigan. I have found a spider and I have never seen one like it. It is larger than quarter. It has brown and black striped legs and the white markings on its back. It has been also very busy making webs, very large ones.

sarah		05-Aug-2010 09:41
wonderful pictures! recently i have been seeing a spider i've never seen before. i've been googling it for the past 30 minutes and see nothing like it. it is pretty small (~1 cm diam) and has a strikingly dark black head with a light brown abdomen. maybe it was the other way around, gosh, i can't remember. the legs are pretty dark and look black as well. the front two legs look almost reddish. the abdomen and head are about equal in size. i usually let spiders go but this one just scares the bejesus out of me so i have to kill it. have you seen any like it?

Amy		30-Jul-2010 13:22
Hello, My husband found a spider last week that was dying from ants. We had never really seen this type before here in Texas. We then found another one just like it, but appears that this one is younger. It was stung by a wasp. (Do you know if it will recover from the wasp sting? We put it in a glass right now to see if we could help it.) We thought it might be a type of tarantula. It is black and white. It has the white stripes on the legs and on the back, it looks more like it is white with a black marking. I've tried to find photos and had no luck. Any suggestions on what it is, or where to look?

Ray		27-Jul-2010 12:18
Hi Tom, I live in the Houston area and for the first time Im seeing a new spider, black shiny body with a redish spot in the rear? can it be the poisinous type?? so far it has not found a way into the house. I'll take a picture of the next one and sent it to you. Thanks for your time. Ray

Maggie		26-Jul-2010 17:05
Dear Tom, We have found a very unusual green spider. It's back is five-sided and lime green. It has three indentions-or dots on it as well. Its head and legs are also lime-green but transparet. It looks like plastic alomost, but it's alive. Its body is a little over a centimeter but each front leg is twice the body size. What type of spider do think it is?

Rob		25-Jul-2010 04:05
Tom i just moved down from mich. and i went over to a friends house well there are ALOT of these black spiders they look like our wolf spiders we have up north but very much larger and the weds are the same it funnels to a hole do you have any idea what these guys are called i hope what i have typed out is helpful..oh did i tell you that theys guys where in his house ! ya i wont be going BACK! thanks for your time and help...

Scott Boerger		15-Jul-2010 01:52
I just found a spider crawling down my hallway. It moves very quickly and tends to dart or jump when approached. The colors are orange body, with black and yellow striped legs, and the butt is orange and black striped like a tiger. I have two small kids who are fascinated with bugs and I dont want any injuries. Thanks for your time.

Guest		12-Jul-2010 22:58
hi tom my name is krystal i live in fort worth texas i found a spider on my back porch its like a light brown color with little horn like things coming off the top of its head its mouth moves up and down fast i really cant describe it but it also has like small spots on its legs can u tell me what kind of spider it might be or if it is dangerous please

Josh		09-Jul-2010 23:35
oh, sorry, its brown on the outside, then it darkens further to the dots, then it goes white. it is in a box with a fly, but the web does not stick to the fly. i found it in a wide pipe... please, if my description is good tell me what spider this is thank you

Josh		09-Jul-2010 23:31
hi,i found a spider which has 11 dots they 2 are spaced out at the part of the abdomen nearest the head, then they go in a line until it ends up with just 1 dot at its web making thing, if you will.

Tom Murray		09-Jul-2010 01:06
Allan, what you're describing sounds like a black widow. I can't say which species, but here's a site with pictures and info.http://bugguide.net/node/view/26421

allan		08-Jul-2010 20:43
I just found a spider with brown and yellow stripes with one prominent red stripe down the middle, on the lower abdomen it looks somewhat like a red hourglass shape. It has three egg sacs and is very protective of them. Can you please inform me more of this spcies of spider?

Guest		04-Jul-2010 01:02
sorrve in east texas in around rusk county...thanks

ashley akin		04-Jul-2010 01:00
we have a medium spider with a black abdomen and light brown thorax. i thought it was a brown recluse but its frame is much thicker...I'ts web is thick silk and it burrows in my window frame...we have an old wood frame house so the windowa r of course old wood. it eats several types of insects.

Rene'		29-Jun-2010 02:47
we found a spider being dragged across our shop floor by a wasp yesterday. We are trying to identify what kind of spider this was. The body was brown with tan colored stripes down its back. The legs were long, thick and had hair on them. We live in the country west of ft worth. I say a baby tarantula. My husband isnt so sure. I have looked at pictures and cant find anything. It looked similar to a wolf spider and a brown recluse.

Teresa		25-Jun-2010 21:55
I found a bright red spider with a little darker red legs and black fangs, the spider is probably around 1/2 inch in length, in my house. I live in East Texas about a mile from Lake Fork. I have never seen a spider like this before and cannot find anything even similiar online to identify it.

Guest		22-Jun-2010 15:27
we have a "fuzzy jumper" (jumping spiders) here in north central Texas that has a red patella, or back. He's not in our spider book. Have you seen or heard of this?

Robert		20-Jun-2010 06:01
Hello Mr. Murray. I live in Cloudcroft NM and we have very large, by large I mean 1" to 1 1/2" diameter grayish spiders that come out of the sink and shower drains. I am assuming because of the septic system, how else would they keep coming out of the sinks. The same type of spider comes out of the sofas cushions. Could these by the same type of spiders as these are two different type of environments? Secondly, could they be Hobo spiders or Brown Recluse? Do we even have the brown reculse up here? Thank you Sir

rj		11-Jun-2010 19:32
I saw a spider outside in front of my house and I was shocked to see a spider the size of a basketball.it was real identical to the spiders from harry potter and the chamber of secrets. I ran to go get my .22 pellet gum from my garage to kill it but when I got outside it was gonna. Can someone please help me identify this spider!!!! through out my neighborhood there has been cases of dogs,cats,squirrels and giant rats being mutilated . I'm so scared I live in galveston Texas

idontlikespiders		29-May-2010 22:15
i live in the houson area and there is this one kind of spider everywhere. they hatch in the trees and are super small at first, but i've seen some grow to be a little bigger then a quarter. they jump, not super far, they are black and have two little white stripes going down their back.

Guest		29-May-2010 02:31
hi Tom saw what looked to be a brown tarantula on my porch last week. it was about the size of a baseball. are they native to north texas? I live just south of Dallas

Texas Prairie Gal		28-May-2010 02:09
I just read the message by Betsy from July 2009. We live in Falls County, Texas (in the country) and have also noticed a HUGE decline in Argiope spiders. In past years they've been everywhere, even right across doorways so you had to "claw" thru their webs to go outside. Last year there were only a couple. This year? Here it is almost June and not a single one. In fact, we aren't finding any spider webs from any kind of spider... not on the trees, not on the eaves, not in window corners.. Just none at all. We haven't even seen ANY wasps, just a few mud daubers. And usually the wasps make it dangerous to even open the mailbox (because their nest is underneath). And fireflies? Only a scattered handful where we used to have hundreds. I also can't find any mention of the general insect decline when I google the subject. As much as I hate those HUGE spiders and the wasps, their complete absence is very disturbing. (BTW, we do NOT use pesticides anywhere around the outside of the house).

Guest		10-May-2010 04:43
hi there,i have some spiders under the car port that look some what like a black widow but are brown and have some marking on it behind but not sure if it has any on its under side.i am afraid of spiders so i dont like to get any where near them,but im afraid it might bite us or my boyfriends elderly father since he is out there most of the time and has other health problems.if you could let me know if you have any idea what they might be it would be great and what i should do to get rid of them.thank you,kristie from Donna Tx.

Mandi		26-Apr-2010 17:30
ok so i live in south texas near the mexican border and i have had some problems with spider bites.the other night i actually found the spider that has been doing so much damage it had a reddish orange torso with dark spots on the bends of its legs also is had a black bottom half with white stripes across it. of i course i immediatly killed it with out taking a photo. it was rather small but its bites a very painful. more painful then a snake bite and i have to keep draining the bites and they turn purple with black in the center and the skin around it seems to be eaten away by whatever tovin this small spider seems to produce. any idea what it could be? or if it is at all dangerous?

Katie		23-Mar-2010 11:37
Tom, I live in Austin, and was doing some work in the yard yesterday. I sat down for a minute, and saw this image moving across my grass. Next thing I knew, there was a spider, roughly quater size with its legs, on my porch. Not being a spider person, I went inside to get some bug spray. When I opened the door again, it was about 2 feet from me- it raised it's back end (like a backwards arch, basically) like it was going to strike at me. I sprayed it, and closed the door, because it started running towards me, with it's back still up. I gave it awhile and went to check it out. When I got closer, it was black, appeared to have hair on it, and two thin red stripes on it's back. I thought maybe a baby tarantula, but a friend of mine said it was much too small to be one- now I'm just wondering! I have a 6 year old little girl, so I want to make sure we know what we're dealing with! Thanks!

Cheryl		09-Mar-2010 21:19
We have been seeing these spiders in our house. They are carmel and chocolate colored. They are very flat, and crab like. They don't move for days. they just sit on the ceiling, and although I see spider webs in the house they don't ever seem to have one. I have a picture although I couldn't get very close. Let me know where to email it.

Grace		23-Jan-2010 17:26
I live in Austin and I just found several spiders by my porch and in my house (!) with messy, unshapely webs. They have the shape and size of black widows but with yellow spots in rows on their back. Any idea what they are? I haven't found any matching photos online.

Tom Murray		08-Dec-2009 03:50
Was the spider with the 3 tan triangles something like this one?http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/62155453

Guest		08-Dec-2009 00:44
That's a trip, cuz I just found a brown spider with three tan triangles in a row, just like the other person that had commented. Don't know what it is yet, but if I find out, I'll post here.

Guest		08-Nov-2009 15:04
The other day I was in the bathroom and I saw a brown spider with tan trianlges in a row and it looked like a christmas tree. It's freaking me out because I can't find out what kind it s anywhere.

Tom Murray		01-Nov-2009 21:48
My best guess for the big black spider in Killean is something like a trapdoor spider, like these.http://bugguide.net/node/view/46198/bgimage But then again, I could be way off without seeing a picture of it.

Guest		01-Nov-2009 20:41
I ive in Killeen and the spider I am looking for I don't see. It was as big as a half dollar and black. Fuzz on it. Do you know what it could have been?

brandi		29-Oct-2009 18:32
i live in san angelo texas and i keep finding these small spiders inside my home they change color. i found one on my bed and it was the turqoise color of my covers and one in my living room that was sitting in a box of markers and it was the colors it was sitting on. my daughter called it a rainbow spider... do you have any idea what kind this spider might be and is it poisous? thanks

Lisa		23-Sep-2009 01:16
I found a huge spider in my window outside. It just hangs out there. I don't know what kind it is but it is scaring me. Can you tell me what it is? It has the body of a black widow but only it's brown, with light brown stripes acrossed it's back. On it's underside on the belly is a black circle with yellow stripes aligning it?

Guest		18-Sep-2009 23:48
i have discovered a feild tarantula in the field next to my house but i have only seen one or two in my life... are they endangered?

Jay Lemon		20-Jul-2009 04:19
I live in Lubbock Texas, and I encounter frequently a spider type in my house that's unusual looking, and I was wondering if you might know it. (Next time if I can catch one without my wife and daughters freakin' out, I can get a pic of one. Subsequent examples are well crushed). It is about 1.5 to 2 inches foot to foot, light brown with an orange tinge to the front two legs, which are much heftier and longer, and are carried off of the ground like a fork lift. The mandibles, or perhaps fangs are easily seen and jut out forward from the head like two small black thorns. Weird little sucker.

Rob Avery		04-Jul-2009 22:08
I discovered a small ink-black spider, legs and all, on a bag of discarded cans in a watery ditch. On the top of his abdomen was a distinctly vertical red marking. It wasn't hour-glass shaped. It was easy to see because the bag was white.

Betsy		02-Jul-2009 23:12
A friend of mine is lamenting the fact that Argiope spiders, which were abundant on her Clay County 50 hillside acres in 2007, were barely evident last year and not present at all this year. The egg sacs from 2007 are still hanging about, full of pinholes. Pests that are normally preyed upon by these beneficial spiders are plentiful and a nuisance. Is a decline in the population of these spiders noticeable generally in Texas? I couldn't find any mention of such a decline by googling.

Josh		24-Jun-2009 00:17
I am a nursing student in Borger Texas one of the most northern towns of the Texas Panhandle. A bonus question on one of my tests reads like this How many poisonous spiders are in the Texas Panhandle and name them. Do you have any suggestions or answers they would greatly appreciated. By the way AWESOME site!!

Randy		22-Jun-2009 05:12
I live in Abilene and I have found two spiders in my kitchen. One is black with three silverish spots and the other is black with a red stripe. Do you know what these may be?

samantha		20-Jun-2009 23:41
i found a charchoal grey spider with a hint of brown in it about the size of an m & m on my face it didn't bite me when i swated it but scared the shnit out of me. i just moved from El Paso to Austin and i dont know the native wildlife here could you help me figure out this mystery spider?

Tom Murray		09-Jun-2009 05:18
Terra, it sounds like a Bold Jumping spider. It's a species that's harmless to humans, but if threatened or grabbed, it can bite, and it would feel like a bee sting.

Terra		08-Jun-2009 03:35
I've found a spider on my wall in Oregon, about nickel-sized if his legs were stretched. He is black, With a whitish triangle on his back pointing towards his head, two dots behind the triangle, and a crescent in front of the triangle making what appears to be a smiley face on his back. He has turquoise by his fangs and feeler thingies that are thick at the ends making him look a bit like a crab. He is a bit hairy, and he jumps. My son wants to keep him, but I want to know what he is first!

A Wood		07-Jun-2009 04:25
Hi Tom, I also found a black spider with white bands on its legs about the size of a nickel with irridescent turquoise fangs. I, however, live in Ont Canada. The spider was found indoors.Pls tell me what type he is. Is it poisonous? I curently have it trapped under a jar and I am too afraid to move him.

Sammi		29-May-2009 01:58
Tom--I live on the Texas Gulf Coast, and I saw a really weird spider in my house. Judging by the way the legs looked and moved, and the general body shape and eye placement of the thing, I'd say it looked like some species of recluse. However, it was bigger than any recluse I'd ever seen (probably a little over half an inch, not including the legs), and it was this translucent whitish yellow color. I've looked at pictures of every species of recluse on the web, along with photos of various other texas spiders, but could not find an exact or even near-exact match. Is it possible for spiders to be albinos? And if not, what else could this, for lack of a better description, 'albino recluse', be?

Lawania		19-May-2009 00:49
I was bitten by a spider about 2 days ago it hurt like hell but i havent had any symptoms and the area is just red and about the size of a dime the spider was a little brown spider i really didnt get a good look at him because i went crazy on him with a shoe can any one tell me if i will make it through the week?

Helen		09-May-2009 02:06
I was in Sea Ranch, CA today and saw a brown spider w/ three triangles running down it's back. It also had what looked like a half moon on it as well. What type of spider was it?

Valerie		10-Apr-2009 17:40
Hello, Tom, I am in Costa Mesa, California and today I found a most lovely spider in my house. It is black with white bands on its legs about the size of a nickel. He has a white face marking on his abdomen and best of all, irridescent turquoise fangs and eyes. Pls tell me what type he is. Thanks ever-so-much! Valerie

Jennifer		18-Mar-2009 21:15
It's about the size of a dime, but I've seen them in the garden get to about the size of a nickle (legs stretched).

Jennifer		18-Mar-2009 21:13
Tom-I live in Katy TX and my husband just got bit by a spider. I've seen these spiders in the garden before but never inside the house. I've seen several pics of spiders but none that look exactly like the one that bit my husband. It looks like it may be a wolf spider or a brown recluse (except for the fact that it is black.) It's about the size of We put it in an empty water bottle just in case. If you have any idea of what kind of spider I am describing please let me know. Thanks

Amy		24-Jan-2009 23:46
i meant to say on its abdomen. i also found another one with symetrical brown spots running down its abdomen and the rest of the body is light brown. the pattern was like '' that with all of the spots slanting downwards. any idea? i found this one in the same place.

Amy		24-Jan-2009 22:10
i found a spider that is tan or light brown and it has black stripes running down its rear legs, showing the change from femur to tibia to tarsus to metatarsus, whit a few extra stripes. it is all tan or light brown including the area between the stripes. It also has a few stripes on its cephalothorax. it resembles a huntsman spider, but golden is too light and tan is too dark. do you know? if this helps, I found it in memphis, tennessee. it was also small. i didn't measure it but if I had to guess I would say 1/4 an inch. thanks!

Tom Murray		23-Jan-2009 22:22
Donny, it sounds like you're describing a cellar spider like this.http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/34542011

Donny		23-Jan-2009 19:33
what kind of spider looks like a grandaddy long legs but is'not. It spins a web around light fixtures. I watched one get a honey bee. It was a long fight but the spider won.

Aaron		14-Nov-2008 17:37
Hi tom i live in alton,tx and i found 3 spiders in my room that are the same i guess they each are really black with white spots and it looked like they had green eyes also i found these spider within two days are they a danger to my and my family?Thank u for your time.

Dustin		04-Nov-2008 00:20
Tom,i live in bryan, tx and i found a spider at work today that i,ve never seen. the upper body looked to be clear or see through. the legs were the same but had little brown spots on them. the sack was kinda of a light brown in the front and faded to a darker brown in the back. do you know what kind it is?

Steve		26-Oct-2008 18:55
I found a spider that had white bands around its legs and on its abdomen-a design much like this ' ' (kind of like a smiley face) @ _____ with green eyes

Cathy		24-Oct-2008 01:49
I live in Houston and I have found another small brown spider with a yellow stripe. Have an idea what this is?

Ivonne		20-Oct-2008 17:08
Mario, I live in South Texas bordering Mexico. Your describing the spider that I'm looking to identify myself. I just saw this spider infront of my house last week. And it has spun a web from our trees to the roof of our house. She is the size of a quarter and has yellow legs that are black at the base (closest to her body). Her body looks like it is yellow as well, and from what I can see, she has a white lind down her back. Also she only appears to come out at night...

Matthew		15-Oct-2008 09:47
Oh yeah, I am in Huntington Beach, Ca.

Matthew		15-Oct-2008 09:46
I have seen a spider similar to Mario's encounter. This spider was in the midst of making a web while I watched in awe...fascinated, I try to take a picture with my phone but it was of bad quality. I have never seen such a large spider of this kind before, nor has one caught my eye like this. I have looked and looked but have found no match to any spider. Description: Orange and Black legs with visible hair, Large abdomen of Orange\Brownish color (Black Cross Underneath) perfectly shaped.....That was the first thing I noticed!

Mario		06-Oct-2008 17:18
I live in Deep South Texas and have noticed a certain spider that only makes its apperance during the fall. It is a spider about the size of a half-dollar orange in color. It has a large web that usually reaches from the tree to the side of the house to the ground. I've seen them one at a time and also in large groups. Once I saw about 10 of them at my parents' house and once in a orchard I saw about 13 all grouped between the orange trees. I'll try to get a picture of one because I've had one showing up at my house for the past two nights.

Jessica		03-Oct-2008 23:39
The spider that i found it has a fat body and skiny head and legs and the color of it is light brown and dark brown on the face and i really want too know what kind it isand it is like a pattern on the legs its light brown and sorda light dark brown on the lsgs and on the belly it has little white spots on its belly.

krazyjason		01-Oct-2008 19:50
The spider I found today is the same as other day, It's the second spider and was furry, color was black with a little white on legs and body with Teal fangs, beings it is the second I have found in 3 days I was wondering if anyone knew what it was?

Chris Towsley		03-Sep-2008 14:53
My cottage in Northern Quebec province Canada has always had wolf spiders in the wood shed or outhouse,basically harmless.This summer s mysterious new species is abundant.It looks like an austrailian recluse,hard shelled,with a golden triangle on its back.Several people have suffered painful swelling without any real proof of a bite but the spiders appearance and proliferation seem to point to it being a likely suspect.These spiders are about the size of a quarter maximum and are not aggresive but dart quickly when encountered.any advice would be appreciated.

Tianaq		26-Aug-2008 21:30
Hi, I live in upstate NY(Lake George Area) and I have found 4 of these spiders in 3 weeks in my house, on my porch, my kitchen on the floor, and in my children's room on the wall. It is black, body is about a quarter inch, long legs that are also black. It has a white dot in the middle of it's back that is the thing I can't identify with any spider on the web sites i have found. I just want to make sure it isn't poisonous. Thank you!

Amanda		08-Aug-2008 06:43
Hi, I love your website! sooooo I live in Killeen Tx. and I keep seeing these dark blackish spiders with an orange stripe down their back and their fairly small. Iv seen them in the kitchen in my hallway and in my bathrooms its seems like their everywhere. i know its not a black widow but i cant find any information or pictures of them anywhere online. Its kinda scary when you see them everywhere and dont know if their dangerous or not especially with 2 Kids running around. If you can please give me any kind of info it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Tami		30-Jul-2008 19:49
Tom-I moved up to Denton, Tx for school, and since I've been up here I've encountered two very different spiders, but I don't recognize either one of them. I'm used to spiders 'cause I grew up in the hill country of New Braunfels, Tx, so if freaks me out when I don't recognize them. One was smaller, a jumper, grey with green spots surrounded by an orange ring. The one I encountered was very aggressive. And the second was a large, right around the size of a tarantula, ang it was grey also with whitish stripes on it. Thanks!

Alice		30-Jul-2008 17:32
I got bit two days ago by a very very tiny black spider on my foot. It hurt like heck and the area round the bit is very red, and, it seems to be extending down my foot. The place where the bite occurred now has a white tip? Any ideas as to what kind it is? It was about as big as a pea....if that. Thank you. (I live in Seabrook Texas and the bite occurred by Taylor Lake)

treasa		28-Jul-2008 04:15
I have several pecan trees in my yard, and have noticed small red and black spiders/bugs.I live in East Texas. I noticed a guest from Marble falls Tx had a similar problem, any answers yet?

tr		28-Jul-2008 04:12
I have several pecan trees in my yard and have noticed small redish orange spiders/bugs,I live in East Texas. I noticed a guest from Marble falls Tx had a similar problem, any answers yet?

Kelsey		27-Jul-2008 03:32
Tom, my boyfriend just killed a spider that looked like a black widow. However, it didn't have the distinct hour glass red marking on it's back. Instead it had a long orange stripe down it. Any ideas? We live in Austin, TX.

Kris		25-Jul-2008 21:17
btw we live in Guyana, South america .. thanks alot!

Kris		25-Jul-2008 21:15
my little brother found a spider and i tried looking it up but no such luck. Its a rather wierd one too. It has a an abdomen about thrice its thorax. Half of it abdomen has a yellow/goldish coulour and the rest is grey white. the thorax is grey and furry..and its legs are black with yellowish-orange strips..i've never seen this kind of spider an we jus hav it traped as we dont know if its dangerous. an it has tiny claw an feelers..its about an inch too...

dougp		25-Jul-2008 14:35
Hi Tom, do you know what kind of spiders these are? Normally the only big spiders I see are wolf spiders and silver argiopes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougp/2672654731/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougp/2673441580/in/set-72157594197168284/ And here's a vid of the gecko and spider. I thought one would attack the other, but the gecko walks away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx3ds9OD1N0

Donna		18-Jul-2008 17:39
By the way...the brown one I found on my screen....did not have 8 legs...it had 2 very long furry brown ones in the front and back.

Donna		18-Jul-2008 17:36
I killed a spider on my 4yr old daughter today(she walked through the web..i guess, because it was stuck to her...on her dress not her skin thank god) It was sooo weird...it was bright orange with a bright green back....it was about the size of a quarter. I'm freaking out. I cannot find it on any of the spider websites. I live in northeast Florida(Daytona area) They are all overthe place here. I also found a big furry brown one on my pool screen....What was that?? Should I be afraid to let my kids go outside. I just moved here from New England where you very rarely see any spiders...soo as you can tell I'm a bit nervous. Any help would be great... Thanks

Guest		18-Jul-2008 13:19
I killed a spider in my house last night. It was very large, black spider with grey on its legs. The legs were very long compared to its body. when I sprayed it with poison it went crazy trying to fight the spray. I live in East Texas. Does anyone know what it might be? I can't find pictures anywhere.

Kevin		03-Jul-2008 21:06
I think I may have spottedmy previous spider description on another answer as Neoscona crucifera. Thanks, happy fourth.

Kevin		03-Jul-2008 20:34
I found a spider in my house in Grapevine Tx. I cannot get a good picture but I will describe it as best I can. It is about 3/4 inch in length. Coloring is tannish/ yellow. The abdomen is wide, kind of triangular shaped. On the top side of the abdomen the coloring is more dull orange with a yellow stripe. The bottom of the abdomen is a patch of yellow with a black hour glass. I could not find a pic on line so any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Cathy		03-Jul-2008 12:47
I searched Bug Guide and could not find a brown spider with a yellow stripe anywhere. His head was extremely small and a darker brown than the rest of his body. If he is dangerous please let me know.

Tom Murray		03-Jul-2008 10:38
Kristin, you could have Brown Widowshttp://bugguide.net/node/view/23403/bgimage or immature/male black widowshttp://bugguide.net/node/view/135810/bgimage

kristin		03-Jul-2008 10:22
by the way I live in katy texas near houston

Kristin		03-Jul-2008 10:21
There are several brown spiders that look similar to a black widow..they have a faint red hour glass on their body....do you have any idea what they could be and if so are they dangerous???

Cathy		03-Jul-2008 04:03
I just killed a small brown spider. He was sort of hairy. Head was small, and the body was brown with a yellow stripe down it. What kind of spider is this? He was in the hall near the baseboard. Live in Houston, in a condo. Thanks

Tom Murray		02-Jul-2008 20:45
Amy, Your spider with a fat abdomen could be either an orb weaverhttp://bugguide.net/node/view/1972/bgimage or a cobweb weaverhttp://bugguide.net/node/view/1960/bgimage There's a lot of different ones to choose from, and without seeing it, it's hard to tell.

Tom Murray		02-Jul-2008 20:40
Lori, if your bug does have 8 legs, is green and flat, it might be one of the crab spiders. Some of them can be very flat. Otherwise it could be a green stinkbug, but without seeing it, it's hard to say.

Amy		25-Jun-2008 21:26
By the way, the big black spider's legs were not very long in relation to it's body - it was very fat and round - and it did not try to move away - it was in the entrance of a public building when I found it.

Amy		25-Jun-2008 21:22
I found a big spider, at least three fourths of an inch long or more, black, fat with huge abdomen, not a jumping spider, and it had a white triangle on the back of it's abdomen, black on its belly, when I prodded it with a pen, it made a strong line to my pen, which took some doing to disconnect. It kept rather still for a while, but did not act terribly scared. Unfortunately, someone smashed it. Could be a common garden spider?

Lori		23-Jun-2008 23:40
Tom, we just moved to Round Rock. We had a small (tip of your pinkie) light lime green bug, it almost looked like a very flat crab, with what looked like 3 curved legs out the front of him on each side and a smaller pair of legs in the back. Any clues as to what it was?

JEN		23-Jun-2008 06:52
I found a spider that looks like the spider on this link bugsinthenews (it is the first row and the 2nd two last spider. It's huge. Large abdomen with yellow bumps on the top and bottom of abdomen, with large fangs and brown in color. What the heck is it? I live in Canyon Lake Texas. Please let me know...it was headed to the puppies bed!! I have it in a glass jar and it's still alive! Thanks Jen RESCUEMEDICB@YAHOO>COM

Tom Murray		21-Jun-2008 02:52
Connor and guest, the spider you're describing sounds like the Bold Jumping Spider.http://bugguide.net/node/view/2006 They look nasty, but their venom is only strong enough to kill their insect prey. If one did bite a person, which usually doesn't happen unless the spider is grabbed, it might leave a small welt, about the same as a bee sting.

Guest		20-Jun-2008 19:10
I Live in ny state and found a spider in the mailbox. It was black, furry, with teal fangs, one big orange spot on back and two smaller on the butt. Do you know what it may be?

conner		20-Jun-2008 18:19
I cought a spider, it is black with a large white dot on its abdomen, and two smaller white dots bellow the large one. it also has teal fangs. i live in colorado, do you know what it is ?

Tom Murray		19-Jun-2008 22:22
Vicky, it sounds like your spider is an orb weaver, perhaps something close to this onehttp://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/85232336

Vicky Harris		19-Jun-2008 21:20
HELP! We had a small spider on our porch that kept it clear of bugs--so we left it alone. Now its gotten BIG. We call it "Wild Thing," because it's the wildest looking spider we've ever seen. White on top with black/white legs and some light blue. Any ideas? We're in Houston, TExas

heathj		10-Jun-2008 02:46
hey all we came home tonight and found what appears to be a small tarantula. He has a white back the thorax area I believe with a dark sword like shape pointing towards his fangs, he has hairy body and legs with bands of grey and white on his legs. he is much slimmer than other tarantulas I have seen before and his fangs are not close together but spread apart. been looking for any info on what he could be but nothing I have found looks like him. Any ideas please email me heathj@flash.net. this is my first time to this site.

donna sides		07-Jun-2008 18:43
Please if you know. Tyler, Tx....spider body size of a dime, small hairs on all legs, ebony black with turquois probicus.

Tom Murray		06-Jun-2008 23:18
Susan, you probably had one of the fishing spiders on you. They can get huge. Here's a few to compare it with.http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/nursery_web_and_fishing_spiders_pisauridae

Guest		06-Jun-2008 15:24
I was swimming in our pool and I felt something crawling down my back. I screamed and jumped out. The spiders body was a blackish/grey and it had black legs with white stripes. It's body was about the size of a small muffin. What do you think it was? Susan

ryan		05-Jun-2008 22:05
I live down in houston and i saw a small very light greenish yellow color, almost white with bright orange on its abdomen. Looking thru the gallery it seems to resemble the orchard spider the closest. Does this sound like a young one or is it something else?

Kai		02-Jun-2008 17:10
Today I was washing my car and a spider landed on me that had brown/blackish legs and a white body that looked like a big sac. The spider bit me and it only left a small red mark but I can't figure out what kind it was...can you help?

janie		01-Jun-2008 16:59
My 2yr. old granddaughter who loves bugs, picked up a small black spider and it bit her. It's black with tiny hairs, yellow spot on its (lower half of) it's oval shaped body. It has Two hind legs, four middle legs, and two protruding legs with fangs. It also has several yellow spots through out it's skin. We live in northern part of Ohio, do you know what kind of spider this is?

Tom Murray		30-May-2008 01:08
Annmaree and Steven, it sounds like you are describing jumping spiders, maybe like these Bold Jumping Spidershttp://bugguide.net/node/view/2006/bgimage Donnine, you might be describing some sort of Orb Weaver spider, and Helen, that description could fit a number of spiders, like wolf spiders, sac spiders, or something else. There's only a few kinds of spiders to worry about with the vast majority that aren't dangerous to people. Most spiders are beneficial to have around, because they eat lots of nuisance insects, and sometimes each other.

Steven Fennell		28-May-2008 20:59
We are attempting to identify a spider that a friend said bit him when he was doing work in an empty house. He said it jumped out of the window sill when he was working. He described it as having a diamond shape on the back. He also said it had three stripes coming down the back also. Any idea what kind of spider it could be? He said the bite made a water blister. Thanks for your help.

Donnine		26-May-2008 03:50
We live in Keller, Texas (NW DFW area) and I keep finding small stocky black and yellow spiders. The black is very very shiny. The legs are pretty short. I find them on my patio sitting on a chair also inside a cupboard outside. Any clue what this is?

Annmaree		25-May-2008 16:23
Hello Tom, Last night my husband killed a spider in our kitchen.AFter seeing the remains in the kleenex I thought it was a black widow as it had the distinct hourglass shape. The hourglass was on its back not the abdomen and it was not shiny black as I remember black widows being. Any idea what it was?

helen		23-May-2008 04:09
HEY TOM. MY DAUGHTER WAS TAKING A SHOWER WHEN I HEARD HER SCREAM, "SPIDER". ANYWAY, I AM VERY PARANOID ABOUT BROWN RECLUSE AND BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS. I LIVE RIGHT ON A LARGE LAKE IN TEXAS. THERE ARE SOME STRANGE BUGS OUT HERE. BUT THE ONE IN THE SHOWER HAS ME WORRIED. I HAD RECENTLY KILLED ONE JUST LIKE IT A WEEK BEFORE AND THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. BUT WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM? I CAUGHT THE LAST ONE AND PUT IN A JAR WITH AN ALCOHOL SOAKED COTTON BALL. IT SOON FADED. THE MARKINGS ARE NOT FAMILIAR TO ME. IT IS SMALL WITH SPOTS ON ITS LEGS AND BACK, ALMOST A TRANSLUCENT BROWN. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS?

Tom Murray		09-May-2008 01:23
Connie's spider was probably a female wolf spider. They will carry their young around on their back until the spiderlings grow a little.

Jimmie		08-May-2008 15:35
I have killed 2 spiders in my home that Connie from Humble described. What are they?

Guest		08-Apr-2008 01:04
Hi Tom! I live in Marble Falls Texas in a pecan orchard. I was out trimming the lower branches off the trees and I kept seeing a very wierd red and black spider/insect. I have been searching for hours and have not found a thing. It was small and very skinny. It was not a black widow because we have those in our shed. They are not baby black widows because I have seen plenty of pictures of those. Can you please help me research pecan tree spiders. I am going to try to fix my camera so I can get a picture. It looked really neat. Thanks

Tom Murray		19-Mar-2008 04:03
Stephanie and Sam, It sounds like the spider you described is probably is a bold jumping spider.http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/32568839 They're harmless to people, and are great hunters that catch lots of bugs, and even some other spiders like black widows. In the remote chance that one did bite you, it would only leave a small bump, like most other insect bites.

Guest		14-Mar-2008 19:23
If you can help, here's my address: samanthatemplin@yahoo.com ~Sam

Guest		14-Mar-2008 19:21
I just found a furry black spider with some white markings, and as Christi Young posted below, it has shiny, turquoise fangs. It's about the size of a quarter, maybe just larger with legs spread and the eyes are large enough to see them all....freaky, and it started fighting with the fly swatter when I was about to kill it, but caught it instead. Any idea what it is, if it's poisonous?? ~Sam

Naomi Smith		18-Nov-2007 18:14
Outside of my mothers house in McKinney Texas she has a very unique silver spider that we can not find on any spider website. We have a picture we can send you via email. Please let us know of any information on this spider. Is he dangerous, how long will he live, is he a she, stuff like that. He has become a good luck charm and would like to do anything to keep him around and happy. My email is kcledu66442@yahoo.com, and my mothers email is sathompson2006@yahoo.com. Thank you Naomi Smith & Sheri Thompson of McKinney, Texas.

Guest		12-Nov-2007 00:00
My kids were outside playing and found a spider, I tried to kill it and it had a hard shell body. The head was furry red and the body was furry yellow with five black legs on each side and maybe some black markings. Any idea what we found? Thanks, Elizabeth

Cal		11-Nov-2007 15:39
Ha! Just found it. Banded garden spider. She's lovely. Thanks for the space.

Cal		11-Nov-2007 15:36
Hello Mr. Murray. Thanks for your website. I was harvesting my tomatoes just now after having been away for a week, and found an extremely tightly spun, very large web and opened my eyes to the spider who would make such a lovely home. She is actually in my tomato plants. She's the size of a fifty cent piece (remember those?) and is yellow and black or dk brown tiger striped! In all my years of respecting Texas spiders, I don't recall a tiger spider. So, I'm leaving her to all the ants and aphids she can gobble. Any ideas as to what kind of spider she may be? Many thanks.

sandra		02-Nov-2007 18:41
I have a large spider outside on the stucco of my house. It's body is black and itr has yellow markings. The front legs split into two legs at the end. Can you please tell me what it is and if it is harmful.

Ben		02-Nov-2007 12:08
Hi! We have a burnt orange spider with a big body and giant orb web. We live in Dallas. He seems to like to come out at night, but also is found on his web during day. He have seen him or probably one like him the same season the last four years. He likes to weave webs up high by the roof. Any ideas what he might be? Thank you. Longhorn Spider Fans

Max		11-Oct-2007 03:37
What happens to spiders in the winter time during freezing weather? Where do they go. If the answer is in my house, just forget it. I don't want to hear that!

Max		11-Oct-2007 03:30
Mr Murray, I love your pictures! Now to my question. I have a very large spider on my front porch building a web about 14 inches in diameter. He is a brown color but underneath his stomach (or whatever) he has a black spot with a connected yellow spot on each side of the black spot. He is about 1.5 to 2 inches from leg tip to leg tip. Everytime he sees me he runs to the other side of his web and tucks his legs under himself. I can in tonight and he has built a very elaborate web. I leave the porch light on each evening for awhile and it helps him catch bugs. Do you have any idea what kind of spider he is? Couldn't get a picture tonight but will try tomorrow and will send you one on email. thanks..... I live in Austin.

Jason		04-Oct-2007 02:13
Hello, Mr. Murray. I found a rather large spider below the eave of my house. Based on my preliminary research, I believe it to be a Labyrinth Orb Weaver. It has a gray cephalothorax, a rather beautiful abdomen with brown, black, and tan stripe patterns, and long spindly brown and tan striped legs. However, my research reveals these spider's habitats are generally restricted to West Texas, Southern Arizona, and Southern California. I live in San Antonio. Also, several websites describe a small, almost inconspicuous spider while my eight-legged friend outside is quite large...about 1 inch in length from abdomen to chelicerae. Including leg-span it appears to be over 2 inches in total length. My question is what is this spider doing in South Texas and why is it so large compared to catalogue descriptions?

Tom Murray		02-Oct-2007 13:48
Hi North Texas, I'm not sure which spider you have, but it doesn't sound like a recluse. Here's some pictures and info about the brown recluse.http://bugguide.net/node/view/33493 The only dangerous spiders in North America are the Recluse, Hobo (northwest), and the Widows. So it's probably one of the thousands of harmless, but scary looking spiders.

Guest		02-Oct-2007 04:30
I live in North texas and I picked up an afaghan that usually sits on the couch and a spider came out of it. It is light brown/tan with dark stripes running from its head to its tail. Almost looks like a violin on its head like a recluse but it also is striped on its bottom part and thought recluses had solid color bottoms. Thought it might be a wolf spider but it's legs are skinny and not hairy? Help!

Guest		30-Sep-2007 22:30
bigger than a quarter. Black and furry spider, w/ white strips and bluish/greenish face (mouth/eyes) what kind of spider is this?

Connie		28-Sep-2007 00:43
Hi, I was in my kitchen and a spider with a very large(fat bottomed), brown in color, was about the size of a quarter, I tried to kill it and many small spiders came flowing out of the spider. Needless to say I am not sleeping as well in Humble as I used to! Please What is it?

Connie		28-Sep-2007 00:43
Hi, I was in my kitchen and a spider with a very large(fat bottomed), brown in color, was about the size of a quarter, I tried to kill it and many small spiders came flowing out of the spider. Needless to say I am not sleeping as well in Humble as I used to! Please What is it?

Meghann		23-Sep-2007 07:54
I live in Commerce about an hour and a half NE of Dallas. Above my front door are two spiders about 2in. body that are metallic shiny silver with black and yellow striped legs. The legs are sectioned in 4 sets of two and feeding off the insects around my porch light. Their webs can extend great distances like 20feet or so. If you can help that would be awesome. Thanks!

Les		21-Sep-2007 20:33
I live in north Dallas near preston and LBJ in a community of townhomes. I noticed out the window a hugh spider web extending from one tree to another, which would be about 10 feet apart. The spider in the center of the web was about 1 1/2" in lenght and about 1/2" wide. It's body was large almost shaped like an acorn. It was peach/orange in color all over, including it's legs. I saw it through my binoc when it climbed up its web to the tree and disappeared. It seemed to have tiny black specs on its back and a large single black dot on it's underside. I cant find it anywhere online. Can you help? Thx, Les

Judy		20-Sep-2007 01:15
I do not have a picture of the spider I'm trying to identify. I'll try my best to describe it. I live in Lubbock, Texas, (West Texas). The spider was in my flower bed. It was large, a large abdomen, brown on the back of the abdomen, bright orange on the front of the abdomen. The legs wer very long and bright orange. If anyone can help me or tell me where I can look at pictures to identify, Thanks, Judy

Guest		19-Sep-2007 06:48
I know it's a bad picture but I remember that the abdomen had a rough texture.. kind of reminded me of tree bark or warts or something of that sort

Guest		19-Sep-2007 06:45
I know it's a bad picture but I remember that the abdomen had a rough texture.. kind of reminded me of tree bark or warts or something of that sort

Guest		19-Sep-2007 06:34
Found a spider. Wonder if you could help identify. www.xanga.com/spider281

Guest		19-Sep-2007 06:33
Found a spider. Wonder if you could help identify. www.xanga.com/spider281

Kelsi Groomer		19-Sep-2007 04:11
I go to Texas A&M and I was sitting under a tree and I got bit by what I thought was an ant but when I went to touch the spot it was a spider, the bite hurts and stings but I'm not sure what kind of a spider it was, it was really small and was all black with a shiny blue/turquoise back. Help! I don't know itf its dangerous or not.

Kelsi Groomer		18-Sep-2007 04:43
I go to Texas A&M and I was sitting under a tree and I got bit by what I thought was an ant but when I went to touch the spot it was a spider, the bite hurts and stings but I'm not sure what kind of a spider it was, it was really small and was all black with a shiny blue/turquoise back. Help! I don't know itf its dangerous or not.

Tom Murray		18-Sep-2007 01:22
Kelsi, out of the thousands of spider species in the U.S., there's only a few that are dangerous to people. Most bites aren't any worse than a bee sting, but if you have more pain than usual, or other symptoms appear, then see a doctor.

Kelsi Groomer		17-Sep-2007 22:38
I go to Texas A&M and I was sitting under a tree and I got bit by what I thought was an ant but when I went to touch the spot it was a spider, the bite hurts and stings but I'm not sure what kind of a spider it was, it was really small and was all black with a shiny blue/turquoise back. Help! I don't know itf its dangerous or not.

Brandon		16-Sep-2007 18:45
Response to Christi Young, Becky Hawley and Ashley Wise: Your descriptions match that of a harmless Jumping Spider of the family Salticidae.

Theresa		12-Sep-2007 19:41
found a spider in my home. The spider witha tan to light brown with a dark strip going length wise. Is this dangerous? It was about the size of a dime.

Tonja		12-Sep-2007 14:17
I have a spider that me & my 2 y.o. found in the garden. It is about the size of a dime and top of it's body is shiny silver but the bottom is yellow & black with a orange spot on his but. The legs are long & black & white striped.

Guest		09-Sep-2007 15:48
Ashley that sounds like a Tranchula or how ever they spell it

ashley wise		05-Sep-2007 17:28
this is in response to becky. i have no idea what kind of spider that is but i just found one in my car and it got away and is now hiding somewhere in my car so if u found out what it was let me know! it was black, fat, white stripes and bright blue fangs. Lake jackson texas

Becky Hawley		30-Aug-2007 02:55
Found a black spider with white stripe in the center and had teal circle around body back... does any one know what type of spider this is and if it is venemous?

A. Hernandez		29-Aug-2007 11:06
Just like every one else I have a couple of spiders in the tree in my front yard that I can't seem to identify. I live in San Antonio if it helps. It's body is an oval shape, simmilar to the shape of the Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver pictured on this web site, but it is a bright red- orange with black spots. Its legs and head are black. The webs are about a foot and a half across. Please, any body with and ideas, I would love to know what it is before my kids get near it...A. Hernandez

christi young		08-Aug-2007 04:44
My 6 yr old and I found a spider on the outside of our home and I was just wondering if you could tell me what kind you thought it was. Anyhow, its body was the size of a quarter, and was black and furry. The only thing odd was brite blue/turquoise fangs. Never seen one all black with blue fangs. Kinda odd around here I guess. We just built a new home and they are still building around us - so I am guessing that the construction is bringing out the worst around here. Please let me know if you have any information on this one. I have 2 young daughters and they are always playing in the yard - scary!!! Thanks a bunch........Christi Young (Woodlands, TX)

christi young		08-Aug-2007 04:43
My 6 yr old and I found a spider on the outside of our home and I was just wondering if you could tell me what kind you thought it was. Anyhow, its body was the size of a quarter, and was black and furry. The only thing odd was brite blue/turquoise fangs. Never seen one all black with blue fangs. Kinda odd around here I guess. We just built a new home and they are still building around us - so I am guessing that the construction is bringing out the worst around here. Please let me know if you have any information on this one. I have 2 young daughters and they are always playing in the yard - scary!!! Thanks a bunch........Christi Young (Woodlands, TX)

Cody		06-Aug-2007 06:20
I found a spider, its huge, it has a cross design on its back, its web was very weird. It was in the shape of a triangle, the web was at least 2 1/2 ft in diameter, and there were 3 support strings one going straight down, one to the left to a light pole and one to the right to my tree. From the pole to the tree is easily 10 ft so its a huge web. Im no expert at spiders, im deathly scared of them as a matter of fact, i cant find it on the net, id appreciate it if you could help, thanks. I took pictures of it id i can figure out how to get them on here ill send them.

Cody		06-Aug-2007 06:20
I found a spider, its huge, it has a cross design on its back, its web was very weird. It was in the shape of a triangle, the web was at least 2 1/2 ft in diameter, and there were 3 support strings one going straight down, one to the left to a light pole and one to the right to my tree. From the pole to the tree is easily 10 ft so its a huge web. Im no expert at spiders, im deathly scared of them as a matter of fact, i cant find it on the net, id appreciate it if you could help, thanks. I took pictures of it id i can figure out how to get them on here ill send them.

Cody		06-Aug-2007 06:16
I found a spider, its huge, it has a cross design on its back, its web was very weird. It was in the shape of a triangle, the web was at least 2 1/2 ft in diameter, and there were 3 support strings one going straight down, one to the left to a light pole and one to the right to my tree. From the pole to the tree is easily 10 ft so its a huge web. Im no expert at spiders, im deathly scared of them as a matter of fact, i cant find it on the net, id appreciate it if you could help, thanks. I took pictures of it id i can figure out how to get them on here ill send them.

Mary		05-Aug-2007 22:33
I took a picture yesterday of a spider at a lake near Cleveland, TX, and I can't identify it with any of your photos. It has a black body, with long yellow/black striped legs. It had built a huge, 3-dimensional web between 2 trees. I would send you the photo, but I can't figure out how to do it. I would appreciate your telling me what it is. Thanks, Mary

Angelfire		03-Aug-2007 03:44
Those of you describing a spider with white and black legs and white markings on the abdomen are likely talking about a yellow garden spider or some sub species ..they are very common in Texas, and weave very elaborate and strong webs, but nothing to be afraid of as they are completely and utterly harmless. There bite is less painful then a bee sting and leaves a red patch that dissipates in minutes. Lara are you sure its a spider? Theres a insect called a kissing bug that specializes in biting people and other animals while they sleep to drain blood and will leave welps very similar to mosquito bite. They can also lead to very serious health problems and should be taken care of professionally (extermination) if thats the case. There almost impossible to find cause they can hide in tiny tiny cracks. I've never heard of any species of spiders repeatedly biting someone in there sleep. Scorpions will frequently enter beds with people, and bark scorpions are common throughout texas, but if one of those got her you would know it. They are harmless also but hurt like you wouldn't believe.

Kara		02-Aug-2007 16:03
There was a spider in my car the other day and I can't find a picture of it. It looked like a normal spider in the Houston, TX area, but was bright greeen. There were no other colors on it either. The body of it wasn't big, about the same thickness throughout. When I got if out of the car, it kind of jumped/ ran away. Didn't crawl slowly.

mark lewis		26-Jul-2007 22:28
btw my email is matt76248@yahoo.com for whoever else might know what it is

mark lewis		26-Jul-2007 22:27
i found a spider today and it has an arrow on its back (like a bow and arrow) and i was wondering what it might be? it looks like a baby torantula or however you spell it but i dont know what it could be. post back plz most likely send me email cause i probly wont be back to this site cause ill be looking for answers as to what it might be. thanks bye

noratheexplorer		28-Jun-2007 19:32
I for one, do not like spiders, but do not believe in killing them if they are not in the home or harming me or anyone in my family, however, my sister seems to feel differently and insists on killing them no matter what. I read up on spiders all the time now because I have seen a few in my yard now that we've planted a few different trees, plants and rose bushes. I know plants attract bugs, which I know spiders like as well as the water and mulch used for the plants and I know spiders are important to the environment and don't want to spray our home because I read that would only motivate the spiders to move into the home. My sister and I argue constantly over this and I know making a fuss about it is not worth anything, however, I really feel killing them is even more worthless. Please let me know what I should do. I also remember growing up, seeing spider monkeys (spiders that look like monkeys when the move) in our yard and was trying to look them up to no avail since spider monkeys are actually monkeys. I probably have the wrong name and would like to know the correct name if you can provide me with this information as well.

Lora		16-May-2007 19:14
My daughter has been bitten a few times in her home but it happens when shes sleeping. I have gone to her house and gone over every inch to find the spider and have not seen one spider. Is there any way to trap a spider? Obviously, its not a venomous spider or she would be dead. Shes been bitten about 8 times and it scares me to death. I read that spiders sometimes nibble on people when they are sleeping. Is that true? Thats stuff nightmares are made of. Thanks for your time. Lora

Spider Guru		10-May-2007 07:08
Its worth noting that the majority of spiders native to Texas are not venomous, so most of you have little to worry about. The three to look out for are: the black widow and brown widow (which are usually found outdoors), and the brown recluse (which likes to roam and are often found in houses). All three are especially dangerous to children and the elderly, although the bite of the widows can cause extreme pain and muscle cramping in the average adult. The brown recluse can sometimes cause necrotic ulcers which take months to heal and leave deep scars. I highly urge everyone to look up these species and familiarize yourselves with their appearance and habitat preferences. Please note that although the spiders arent typically aggressive, they will bite defensively if disturbed (or in the case of the widows, if defending their egg sac). This can sometimes be difficult to avoid, as accidents can happen when most of us are unaware of any danger. For example - recluse bites often happen when the spider wanders into an article of clothing that is later worn, or roams across a bed spread during the night. The recluse bite may be initially painless, and isnt noticed until a large wound develops. Being respectfully aware of the spiders and their habits can save time and trouble (hospital bills mainly) for everyone.

Amanda		09-May-2007 19:26
I just moved to Texas and was outside when I found a spider web near the roof. I looked for the spider and found one crawling on the side of the house. It is not any of the ones that you have pictured here so I thought maybe you could tell me what it is. It looked like a type of jumping spider. It was black all over, but had white rings on its legs. It also had a white spot on its rear. I hope that you can tell me what it is because I am terrified of spiders all ready and want to prevent any more from coming around. Thanks

Stephanie Taylor		13-Jun-2006 06:33
We just moved in to a new subdivision in a rural area, however this used to be a farmers field. We have these little spders in particular that have me very upset. They are small with light brown legs, and their body is almost black. the thing that stands out the most is they have these fang looking things on their head (they probably are fangs)!! They are very, very quick. I have managed to catch one. I need to know what the heck this thing is because for some reason my son keeps waking up with spiderbites on his face!!! He got the 2nd one this week. They make a red bump like a mosquitoe bite and he says they itch. Thanks for your help!

Patti Johnson		06-May-2006 14:39
We just bought 10 acres in Canyon Lake - the property has a windmill and my son was looking at it and found tons of scary spiders - one he captured had a very large "tick like" body that looks like a snake or frog (camoflage?), and the legs are almost striped - white and black. The spider has fangs and its web is as strong as fishing line - we put a scorpion in with it and the spider spun it so tightly you cannot feel the scorpion. Help! This has us terrified.

Colt West		25-Jan-2006 08:32
Hello. While my father and I were moving things out of our storage shed we came across several spiders that I had never seen before. We live in Central Texas, near Waco, and I have seen virtualy every spider that lives in this area but nothing like these. I was unable to get a picture of one of them, but I will try to describe it. (Forgive my crude terminology, it's been a while since Biology.) It was fairly large, with a full leg span a bit larger than a silver dollar. The legs were solid black, and its head was black but it had a brown circle in the middle with a white band around the circle, and its rearend was spherical and a pale grey color. There were no discernable web patterns in the shed, but there were webs all over everything close to the ground. We found three different ones in the back of the truck, which was a little unsettling because I didn't know what kind they were and we were both barehanded carrying things. It not likely I will see another one with an oppurtunity to take a picture of it, but if you have any idea what species it might be I would be delighted if you would email me and let me know. I like spiders and the possibility that this might be an unknown species or even one not known to inhabit this area is intriguing. Thank you for your time.

Titia Geertman		02-Jan-2005 12:51
Just love your spider gallerie, they're beautiful.

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