Snakes and spiders in Maricopa County, Arizona
Maricopa County, home of Phoenix, has 28 snake and 35 spider species on record, from 3,155 licensed snake and 260 spider records. Venomous species here: the western diamondback rattlesnake, the sidewinder, the Mohave rattlesnake, the southwestern speckled rattlesnake, the tiger rattlesnake, the Sonoran coralsnake, the black-tailed rattlesnake, the Arizona black rattlesnake, the western black widow and the desert recluse.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Maricopa County?
Yes. The western diamondback rattlesnake: 286 licensed records, 16% of all Arizona records of it. The sidewinder: 252 licensed records, 29% of all Arizona records of it. The Mohave rattlesnake: 208 licensed records, 15% of all Arizona records of it. The southwestern speckled rattlesnake: 79 licensed records, 42% of all Arizona records of it. The tiger rattlesnake: 50 licensed records, 15% of all Arizona records of it. The Sonoran coralsnake: 41 licensed records, 11% of all Arizona records of it. The black-tailed rattlesnake: 39 licensed records, 5% of all Arizona records of it. The Arizona black rattlesnake: 14 licensed records, 6% of all Arizona records of it. The western black widow: 29 licensed records, 10% of all Arizona records of it. The desert recluse: 1 licensed record, 14% of all Arizona records of it.
What snakes are in Maricopa County?
In all, 28 snake species are on the Maricopa County list. The most recorded are the western ground snake (343), the western diamondback rattlesnake (286) and the sidewinder (252). Maricopa County holds more than half of all Arizona records of the western ground snake and the Brahminy blindsnake.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Arizona records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western ground snake Sonora semiannulata | 343 | 54% |
| 2 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | 286 | 16% |
| 3 | Sidewinder venomous Crotalus cerastes | 252 | 29% |
| 4 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | 218 | 15% |
| 5 | Mohave rattlesnake venomous Crotalus scutulatus | 208 | 15% |
| 6 | Long-nosed snake Rhinocheilus lecontei | 205 | 15% |
| 7 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 146 | 24% |
| 8 | Glossy snake Arizona elegans | 122 | 17% |
| 9 | Western patch-nosed snake Salvadora hexalepis | 110 | 13% |
| 10 | California kingsnake Lampropeltis californiae | 108 | 43% |
| 11 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | 98 | 18% |
| 12 | Spotted leaf-nosed snake Phyllorhynchus decurtatus | 91 | 25% |
| 13 | Western threadsnake Rena humilis | 82 | 22% |
| 14 | Southwestern speckled rattlesnake venomous Crotalus pyrrhus | 79 | 42% |
| 15 | Sand snake Sonora straminea | 71 | 28% |
| 16 | Western shovel-nosed snake Sonora occipitalis | 67 | 34% |
| 17 | Blackneck garter snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis | 50 | 7% |
| 18 | Tiger rattlesnake venomous Crotalus tigris | 50 | 15% |
| 19 | Colorado desert shovel-nosed snake Chionactis annulata | 48 | 22% |
| 20 | Southwestern blackhead snake Tantilla hobartsmithi | 48 | 26% |
| 21 | Sonoran coralsnake venomous Micruroides euryxanthus | 41 | 11% |
| 22 | Black-tailed rattlesnake venomous Crotalus molossus | 39 | 5% |
| 23 | Sonoran lyre snake Trimorphodon lambda | 35 | 8% |
| 24 | Sonoran whipsnake Masticophis bilineatus | 27 | 5% |
| 25 | Maricopa leafnose snake Phyllorhynchus browni | 24 | 6% |
| 26 | Desert nightsnake Hypsiglena chlorophaea | 21 | 19% |
| 27 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 19 | 100% |
| 28 | Arizona black rattlesnake venomous Crotalus cerberus | 14 | 6% |
When are snakes out in Maricopa County?
Observation records of snakes in Maricopa County run mostly March through September, peaking in August with 24% of them, the same peak as Arizona as a whole.
What spiders are in Maricopa County?
In all, 35 spider species are on the Maricopa County list. The most recorded are the desert blond tarantula (29), the western black widow (29) and the hirsute paradise spider (16). Maricopa County holds more than half of all Arizona records of Habronattus pyrrithrix.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Arizona records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Desert blond tarantula Aphonopelma chalcodes | 29 | 9% |
| 2 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | 29 | 10% |
| 3 | Hirsute paradise spider Habronattus hirsutus | 16 | 41% |
| 4 | Western spotted orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis | 14 | 9% |
| 5 | Sosippus californicus | 12 | 36% |
| 6 | Giant crab spider Olios giganteus | 9 | 6% |
| 7 | Dictis striatipes | 7 | 29% |
| 8 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 7 | 10% |
| 9 | Marbled cellar spider Holocnemus pluchei | 7 | 37% |
| 10 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | 7 | 15% |
| 11 | Habronattus pyrrithrix | 6 | 50% |
| 12 | Homalonychus selenopoides | 6 | 30% |
| 13 | Metaphidippus chera | 4 | 13% |
| 14 | Phidippus californicus | 4 | 16% |
| 15 | Giant daddy-long-legs spider Artema atlanta | 2 | 40% |
| 16 | Hogna antelucana | 2 | 13% |
| 17 | Koch's wolf spider Alopecosa kochi | 2 | 3% |
| 18 | Ribbon jumping spider Metacyrba taeniola | 2 | 8% |
| 19 | Syspira longipes | 2 | 12% |
| 20 | Buttonhook leafbeetle jumping spider Sassacus vitis | 1 | 7% |
| 21 | California flattened jumping spider Platycryptus californicus | 1 | 6% |
| 22 | Carolina wolf spider Hogna carolinensis | 1 | 1% |
| 23 | Desert recluse venomous Loxosceles deserta | 1 | 14% |
| 24 | Habronattus hallani | 1 | 11% |
| 25 | Paloma dwarf tarantula Aphonopelma paloma | 1 | 25% |
| 26 | Salticus palpalis | 1 | 33% |
| 27 | Syspira tigrina | 1 | 25% |
| 28 | Tinus peregrinus | 1 | 8% |
| 29 | Arizona black hole spider Kukulcania arizonica | — | — |
| 30 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | — | — |
| 31 | Box spider Crossopriza lyoni | — | — |
| 32 | Colonus hesperus | — | — |
| 33 | Eriophora edax | — | — |
| 34 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | — | — |
| 35 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | — | — |
When are spiders out in Maricopa County?
Observation records of spiders in Maricopa County run through most of the year, peaking in April with 16% of them; across Arizona the peak is August.
What stands out in Maricopa County
Species for which Maricopa County holds a large share of all Arizona records: the western ground snake, 54% (343 of 638); the California kingsnake, 43% (108 of 252); the southwestern speckled rattlesnake, 42% (79 of 186); the hirsute paradise spider, 41% (16 of 39); Sosippus californicus, 36% (12 of 33); the western shovel-nosed snake, 34% (67 of 195); the sidewinder, 29% (252 of 875); the sand snake, 28% (71 of 254).
Common in Arizona, not on the Maricopa County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Arizona, these do not reach the county list: the western terrestrial garter snake (728 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Among the spiders most recorded across Arizona, these do not reach the county list: Phidippus carneus (66 statewide), Camptocosa parallela (49 statewide) and Habronattus clypeatus (49 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Maricopa County
Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the gopher snake. Coral snakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the long-nosed snake.
Maricopa County among Arizona counties
By licensed snake records Maricopa County ranks 3rd of 15 Arizona counties with any.
Other Arizona counties with their own page: Pima County, Cochise County, Pinal County, Santa Cruz County, Yavapai County, Coconino County, Yuma County and Graham County.
The whole state: venomous species in Arizona, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.