Spiders in Colorado
Colorado has 378 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 4,133 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the bold jumper, the zebra spider and the Asian wall jumper. Medically significant: the western black widow.
Widow spiders in Colorado
One species of this group is listed for Colorado: the western black widow, with 167 records (4% of the state's spider records).
Observation records of the western black widow in Colorado run mostly May through November, peaking in August; most licensed records come from El Paso County, Denver County and Boulder County.
Jumping spiders in Colorado
Jumping spiders dominate the spider record of Colorado: 70 species and 52% of all records. The most recorded is the bold jumper (681), ahead of the zebra spider (411).
Plus 58: Brilliant jumping spider, Desert red jumping spider, Buttonhook leafbeetle jumping spider, Habronattus clypeatus, Proszynski's jumping spider, Pelegrina furcata, Sassacus papenhoei, Phidippus carneus, Habronattus amicus, Phidippus asotus, Phidippus pius, Bronze jumper, Carolina jumping spider, Habronattus cognatus, Pelegrina arizonensis, Phidippus insignarius, Tyrell's tufted jumping spider, Black-marked jumping spider, Habronattus festus, Phidippus octopunctatus, Habronattus venatoris, Johnson jumper, Phidippus olympus, Attulus ammophilus, Contrasting jumping spider, Habronattus sansoni, Habronattus tuberculatus, Sittisax ranieri, Boreal jumping spider, Habronattus americanus, Habronattus calcaratus, Hirsute paradise spider, Mexigonus arizonensis, Thin-spined jumping spider, Attinella juniperi, Four-lined slender jumping spider, Habronattus virgulatus, Hart's jumping spider, Metaphidippus siticulosus, Thick-spined jumping spider, Common Hentz jumping spider, Common white-cheeked jumping spider, Habronattus arcalorus, Habronattus conjunctus, Habronattus klauseri, Hairy tufted jumping spider, Nell's neon spider, Oregon paradise jumping spider, Peckhamia americana, Pelegrina clemata, Pelegrina flavipes, Pelegrina sabinema, Pellenes crandalli, Phanias monticola, Poultonella alboimmaculata, Salticus austinensis, Salticus peckhamae, Terralonus mylothrus.
Observation records of the bold jumper in Colorado run mostly April through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from El Paso County, Larimer County and Boulder County. Observation records of the zebra spider in Colorado run mostly April through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from El Paso County, Boulder County and Denver County. Observation records of the Asian wall jumper in Colorado run mostly April through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from El Paso County, Boulder County and Larimer County.
Wolf spiders in Colorado
Wolf spiders: 57 species are listed for Colorado, with 208 records (5% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the Groenland wolf spider (51), ahead of the Carolina wolf spider (21).
Related species: Pardosa saxatilisPlus 45: Schizocosa minnesotensis, Hogna antelucana, Hogna coloradensis, Missouri burrowing wolf spider, Pardosa coloradensis, Pardosa ourayensis, Shoreline wolf spider, Geolycosa rafaelana, Pale thin-legged wolf spider, Mackenzie's thin-legged wolf spider, Pardosa tesquorum, Spinyrib wolf spider, Stone spider, Ubiquitous thin-legged wolf spider, Little banded wolf spider, Pardosa falcifera, Pardosa fuscula, Pardosa mercurialis, Pardosa uintana, Pirate otter spider, Schizocosa mimula, Trochosa ruricola, Allocosa chamberlini, Allocosa parva, Arctosa insignita, Hilltop wolf spider, Lance wolf spider, Pardosa confusa, Pardosa dorsalis, Pardosa dorsuncata, Pardosa montgomeryi, Pardosa mulaiki, Pardosa orophila, Pardosa sierra, Pardosa steva, Pardosa uncata, Pardosa utahensis, Pardosa vadosa, Pardosa yavapa, Redlined wolf spider, Schizocosa crassipalpata, Schizocosa saltatrix, Shiny wolf spider, Trochosa terricola, Varacosa shenandoa.
Most licensed records of the Groenland wolf spider in Colorado come from Summit County, Gunnison County and Teller County.
Orb weavers in Colorado
Orb weavers: 22 species are listed for Colorado, with 174 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the banded garden spider (45), ahead of the sixspotted orbweaver (32).
Plus ten: Northern orb weaver, Fierce orbweaver, Furrow orbweaver, Metepeira grandiosa, Humpbacked orbweaver, Hypsosinga pygmaea, Larinia famulatoria, Meadow dark-eyed orbweaver, Metepeira foxi, Nordmann's orbweaver spider.
Observation records of the banded garden spider in Colorado run mostly July through September, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Boulder County, El Paso County and Larimer County. Most licensed records of the sixspotted orbweaver in Colorado come from El Paso County, Huerfano County and Larimer County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Colorado
Long-jawed orb weavers are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 0.2% of records between them. The most recorded is the long-jawed orb weaver (6), ahead of the versicolor long-jawed orbweaver (2).
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Colorado
Fishing and nursery web spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.4% of records between them. The most recorded is the dock spider (15), ahead of the sixspotted fishing spider (3).
Tarantulas in Colorado
Tarantulas are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the Texas brown tarantula (71), ahead of the Arizona black (9).
Observation records of the Texas brown tarantula in Colorado run mostly June through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Otero County, Pueblo County and Bent County.
Crab spiders in Colorado
Crab spiders are a small part of the spider record here: 54 species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is the goldenrod crab spider (57), ahead of Ozyptila conspurcata (11).
Related species: Spiracme triangulosa
Plus 42: Grooved running crab spider, Philodromus rodecki, Punctated ground crab spider, Tan crab spider, Thanatus altimontis, Thanatus coloradensis, Thanatus formicinus, Tibellus chamberlini, Titanebo parabolis, Xysticus benefactor, Xysticus pellax, Attractive running crab spider, Colorado mecaphesa, Ebo pepinensis, Elegant crab spider, Mecaphesa californica, Montane crab spider, Multicolored bark crab spider, Philodromus californicus, Philodromus exilis, Philodromus imbecillus, Philodromus keyserlingi, Philodromus spectabilis, Philodromus vulgaris, Psammitis labradorensis, Rare ground crab spider, Rhysodromus mysticus, Spiracme triangulosa, Thanatus rubicellus, Threebanded crab spider, Tibellus duttoni, Titanebo dondalei, Xysticus auctificus, Xysticus coloradensis, Xysticus cunctator, Xysticus gosiutus, Xysticus gulosus, Xysticus lassanus, Xysticus luctuosus, Xysticus orizaba, Xysticus paiutus, Xysticus texanus.
Observation records of the goldenrod crab spider in Colorado run mostly June through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Larimer County, Boulder County and Rio Blanco County.
Cobweb spiders in Colorado
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: 24 species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the triangulate bud spider (49), ahead of the common candy-striped spider (26).
Related species: Euryopis funebris
Plus twelve: Emertonella taczanowskii, Enoplognatha intrepida, Enoplognatha joshua, Euryopis texana, Ohlert's cobweb weaver, Red-and-white asagena, Steatoda grandis, Steatoda hespera, Steatoda mexicana, Theridion petraeum, Theridion rabuni, Theridion transgressum.
Observation records of the triangulate bud spider in Colorado run through most of the year, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Boulder County, Larimer County and Jefferson County.
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Colorado
Funnel weavers and grass spiders are a small part of the spider record here: 13 species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the barn funnel weaver (64), ahead of the hobo spider (29).
Related species: Agelenopsis pennsylvanicaRelated species: Agelenopsis pennsylvanica
Related species: Hololena curta
Related species: Novalena intermedia
Plus one: Utah funnel-web spider.
Observation records of the barn funnel weaver in Colorado run mostly January through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Boulder County, El Paso County and Denver County.
Lynx spiders in Colorado
Lynx spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.3% of records between them. The most recorded is the western lynx spider (11), ahead of the striped lynx spider (0).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Colorado
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: 16 species with 0.4% of records between them. The most recorded is the bowl and doily spider (8), ahead of the filmy dome spider (6).
Same family (Linyphiidae): Frontinella pyramitela
Same family (Linyphiidae): Frontinella pyramitela
Related species: Erigone aletrisSame family (Linyphiidae): Frontinella pyramitela
Plus four: Holm's whiskered money spider, Incestophantes lamprus, Megalepthyphantes nebulosus, Tachygyna haydeni.
Ground and sac spiders in Colorado
Ground and sac spiders are a small part of the spider record here: 66 species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is the parson spider (17), ahead of Haplodrassus signifer (8).
Related species: Zelotes fratris
Related species: Zelotes fratris
Related species: Drassodes neglectus
Plus 54: Drassyllus lepidus, Glossy ant-spider, Gnaphosa californica, Gnaphosa sericata, Micaria porta, Northern yellow sac spider, Orodrassus coloradensis, Prairie ant-mimic corinne spider, Red-spotted ant mimic sac spider, Zelotes lasalanus, Callilepis pluto, Canada sac spider, Castianeira occidens, Drassodes gosiutus, Drassyllus depressus, Drassyllus mumai, Gnaphosa brumalis, Gnaphosa parvula, Greater ant-mimic corinne spider, Haplodrassus hiemalis, Micaria constricta, Micaria mormon, Micaria rossica, Callilepis eremella, Clubiona abboti, Clubiona kulczynskii, Clubiona moesta, Drassyllus lamprus, Drassyllus nannellus, Drassyllus notonus, Gnaphosa borea, Gnaphosa clara, Gnaphosa saxosa, Haplodrassus chamberlini, Herpyllus bubulcus, Herpyllus cockerelli, Herpyllus hesperolus, Long-palped ant-mimic sac spider, Meriola decepta, Micaria aenea, Micaria coloradensis, Micaria gertschi, Nodocion rufithoracicus, Orodrassus assimilis, Phrurotimpus palustris, Riparian sac spider, Scotinella pelvicolens, Sergiolus angustus, Sosticus loricatus, Victorious ground hunter, Western parson spider, Yellow sac spider, Zelotes gertschi, Zelotes hentzi.
Other spiders in Colorado
Other spiders: 46 species are listed for Colorado, with 162 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is Dysdera crocata (111), ahead of Dictyna volucripes (10).
Related species: Psilochorus utahensis
Related species: Hypochilus pococki
Related species: Dictyna bellansRelated species: Dictyna bellansPlus 34: European ant-eating spider, Mallos niveus, Titanoeca nigrella, Agroeca pratensis, Black laceweaver, Callobius nomeus, Cicurina pagosa, Cicurina varians, Dictyna bostoniensis, Dictyna brevitarsa, Dictyna calcarata, Dictyna cebolla, Dictyna coloradensis, Dictyna crosbyi, Dictyna sancta, Dictyna tridentata, Emblyna annulipes, Emblyna borealis, Emblyna completoides, Emblyna consulta, Emblyna reticulata, Emblyna scotta, Emblyna stulta, Gertsch's triangleweaver, Lauricius hooki, Mallos pallidus, Mexitlia trivittata, Mimetus hesperus, Neoantistea agilis, Neoantistea gosiuta, Phantyna bicornis, Physocyclus enaulus, Thick-hooked comb-tailed spider, Titanoeca nivalis.
Observation records of Dysdera crocata in Colorado run mostly April through December, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Boulder County, Larimer County and Jefferson County.
Where in Colorado are spiders recorded most?
El Paso County dominates: 33% of the state's licensed spider records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 70%. 59 of Colorado's 64 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Paso County | 1,384 | 33.5% |
| 2 | Boulder County | 605 | 14.6% |
| 3 | Larimer County | 471 | 11.4% |
| 4 | Rio Blanco County | 238 | 5.8% |
| 5 | Denver County | 214 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Jefferson County | 198 | 4.8% |
| 7 | Montezuma County | 189 | 4.6% |
| 8 | Weld County | 92 | 2.2% |
| 9 | Pueblo County | 74 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Douglas County | 65 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Arapahoe County | 62 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Clear Creek County | 51 | 1.2% |
When do spiders come out in Colorado?
Observation records of spiders in Colorado run mostly April through October, peaking in August with 16% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 2% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from March to April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 1% | 3% | 9% | 12% | 16% | 16% | 16% | 16% | 8% | 2% | 1% |
Spiders: Colorado compared with its neighbors
Colorado ranks 2nd of 50 states by the number of spider species listed; Texas leads with 386 species.
Colorado lists more spider species than any state it borders (Colorado: 378 species; New Mexico 247, Arizona 162, Oklahoma 149, Utah 97, Kansas 94, Nebraska 71, Wyoming 68).
What spiders are in Colorado? All 378 species
Ranked by licensed records in Colorado. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 378 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 681 | 16.5% |
| 2 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 411 | 9.9% |
| 3 | Asian wall jumper Attulus fasciger | Salticidae | 255 | 6.2% |
| 4 | Apache jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus | Salticidae | 176 | 4.3% |
| 5 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | Theridiidae | 167 | 4.0% |
| 6 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 111 | 2.7% |
| 7 | Habronattus cuspidatus | Salticidae | 108 | 2.6% |
| 8 | Pelegrina aeneola | Salticidae | 74 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Texas brown tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi | Theraphosidae | 71 | 1.7% |
| 10 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | Agelenidae | 64 | 1.5% |
| 11 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | Thomisidae | 57 | 1.4% |
| 12 | Groenland wolf spider Pardosa groenlandica | Lycosidae | 51 | 1.2% |
| 13 | Habronattus altanus | Salticidae | 50 | 1.2% |
| 14 | Phidippus arizonensis | Salticidae | 49 | 1.2% |
| 15 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 49 | 1.2% |
| 16 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 45 | 1.1% |
| 17 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 36 | 0.9% |
| 18 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 32 | 0.8% |
| 19 | California flattened jumping spider Platycryptus californicus | Salticidae | 29 | 0.7% |
| 20 | Hobo spider Eratigena agrestis | Agelenidae | 29 | 0.7% |
| 21 | Minute jumping spider Talavera minuta | Salticidae | 29 | 0.7% |
| 22 | Cat-faced spider Araneus gemmoides | Araneidae | 28 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Common candy-striped spider Enoplognatha ovata | Theridiidae | 26 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Carolina wolf spider Hogna carolinensis | Lycosidae | 21 | 0.5% |
| 25 | McCook's split wolf spider Schizocosa mccooki | Lycosidae | 21 | 0.5% |
| 26 | Attinella dorsata | Salticidae | 19 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 19 | 0.5% |
| 28 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 17 | 0.4% |
| 29 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 16 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Desert red jumping spider Phidippus ardens | Salticidae | 15 | 0.4% |
| 31 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 15 | 0.4% |
| 32 | Buttonhook leafbeetle jumping spider Sassacus vitis | Salticidae | 13 | 0.3% |
| 33 | Habronattus clypeatus | Salticidae | 13 | 0.3% |
| 34 | Proszynski's jumping spider Evarcha proszynskii | Salticidae | 13 | 0.3% |
| 35 | Pardosa sternalis | Lycosidae | 12 | 0.3% |
| 36 | Ozyptila conspurcata | Thomisidae | 11 | 0.3% |
| 37 | Pelegrina furcata | Salticidae | 11 | 0.3% |
| 38 | Western lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris | Oxyopidae | 11 | 0.3% |
| 39 | Dictyna volucripes | Dictynidae | 10 | 0.2% |
| 40 | Pholcophora americana | Pholcidae | 10 | 0.2% |
| 41 | Sassacus papenhoei | Salticidae | 10 | 0.2% |
| 42 | Arizona black Aphonopelma marxi | Theraphosidae | 9 | 0.2% |
| 43 | Phidippus carneus | Salticidae | 9 | 0.2% |
| 44 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 45 | Forest wolf spider Hogna frondicola | Lycosidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 46 | Haplodrassus signifer | Gnaphosidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 47 | Neglected ground hunter spider Drassodes neglectus | Gnaphosidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 48 | Psilochorus imitatus | Pholcidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 49 | Varacosa gosiuta | Lycosidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 50 | Western spotted orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis | Araneidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 51 | Zelotes fratris | Gnaphosidae | 8 | 0.2% |
| 52 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 53 | Habronattus amicus | Salticidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 54 | Orbweaver Aculepeira carbonarioides | Araneidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 55 | Ornamental orbweaver Larinioides patagiatus | Araneidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 56 | Phidippus asotus | Salticidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 57 | Phidippus pius | Salticidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 58 | Twospotted cobweb spider Asagena americana | Theridiidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 59 | Utah crab spider Bassaniana utahensis | Thomisidae | 7 | 0.2% |
| 60 | Zelotes anglo | Gnaphosidae | 7 | 0.2% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.