Spiders in Connecticut
Connecticut has 86 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 996 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the orchard orbweaver, the nursery web spider and the bold jumper. Medically significant: the northern black widow.
Widow spiders in Connecticut
One species of this group is listed for Connecticut: the northern black widow, with 1 record (0.1% of the state's spider records).
Jumping spiders in Connecticut
Jumping spiders: 18 species are listed for Connecticut, with 232 records (23% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the bold jumper (51), ahead of the familiar jumping spider (38).
Plus six: Peppered jumper, Slender ant mimicking jumping spider, Hammerjawed jumper, Pseudeuophrys erratica, Whitman's jumping spider, Asian wall jumper.
Observation records of the bold jumper in Connecticut run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from New Haven County, Hartford County and New London County. Observation records of the familiar jumping spider in Connecticut run mostly May through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Fairfield County, New Haven County and Middlesex County. Observation records of the bronze jumper in Connecticut run mostly March through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from New Haven County, Hartford County and Fairfield County.
Wolf spiders in Connecticut
Wolf spiders: six species are listed for Connecticut, with 33 records (3% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the wetland giant wolf spider (14), ahead of the rabid wolf spider (9).
Orb weavers in Connecticut
Orb weavers: 21 species are listed for Connecticut, with 210 records (21% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the black-and-yellow argiope (45), ahead of the spotted orbweaver (31).
Plus nine: Cone-shaped orbweaver, Arabesque orbweaver, Butterfly orbweaver, Red-spotted orbweaver, White micrathena, Heptagonal orbweaver, Giant lichen orbweaver, Humpbacked orbweaver, Tuftlegged orbweaver.
Observation records of the black-and-yellow argiope in Connecticut run mostly July through September, peaking in September; most licensed records come from New London County, Litchfield County and New Haven County. Observation records of the spotted orbweaver in Connecticut are concentrated in August and September (90% of them); most licensed records come from New Haven County, Tolland County and Hartford County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Connecticut
Long-jawed orb weavers: two species are listed for Connecticut, with 90 records (9% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the orchard orbweaver (84), ahead of the eastern cave long-jawed spider (6).
Observation records of the orchard orbweaver in Connecticut run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from New Haven County, Hartford County and New London County.
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Connecticut
Fishing and nursery web spiders: six species are listed for Connecticut, with 164 records (16% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the nursery web spider (64), ahead of the dark fishing spider (48).
Observation records of the nursery web spider in Connecticut run mostly May through September, peaking in September; most licensed records come from New Haven County, Tolland County and Fairfield County. Observation records of the dark fishing spider in Connecticut run mostly April through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from New Haven County, Hartford County and Tolland County. Observation records of the sixspotted fishing spider in Connecticut run mostly May through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from New Haven County, Fairfield County and Litchfield County.
Crab spiders in Connecticut
Crab spiders: four species are listed for Connecticut, with 39 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the flower crab spider (14), ahead of the American green crab spider (13).
Cobweb spiders in Connecticut
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: four species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is the triangulate bud spider (12), ahead of the boreal combfoot (9).
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Connecticut
One species of this group is listed for Connecticut: the barn funnel weaver, with 0 records (0% of the state's spider records).
Lynx spiders in Connecticut
Lynx spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.5% of records between them. The most recorded is the western lynx spider (4), ahead of the striped lynx spider (1).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Connecticut
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the filmy dome spider (7), ahead of the bowl and doily spider (3).
Ground and sac spiders in Connecticut
Ground and sac spiders: ten species are listed for Connecticut, with 45 records (5% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the parson spider (23), ahead of the broad-faced sac spider (6).
Other spiders in Connecticut
Other spiders are a small part of the spider record here: nine species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is Dysdera crocata (8), ahead of the longbodied cellar spider (7).
Where in Connecticut are spiders recorded most?
New Haven County dominates: 34% of the state's licensed spider records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 82%. 8 of Connecticut's 8 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven County | 343 | 34.4% |
| 2 | Hartford County | 150 | 15.1% |
| 3 | New London County | 113 | 11.3% |
| 4 | Fairfield County | 104 | 10.4% |
| 5 | Litchfield County | 103 | 10.3% |
| 6 | Middlesex County | 88 | 8.8% |
| 7 | Tolland County | 71 | 7.1% |
| 8 | Windham County | 24 | 2.4% |
When do spiders come out in Connecticut?
Observation records of spiders in Connecticut run mostly April through October, peaking in June with 20% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 3% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from April to May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 1% | 2% | 6% | 15% | 20% | 14% | 17% | 16% | 6% | 1% | 1% |
Spiders: Connecticut compared with its neighbors
Connecticut ranks 38th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed; Texas leads with 386 species.
Of the three states bordering Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York list more spider species (Connecticut: 86 species; Massachusetts 189, New York 149, Rhode Island 53).
What spiders are in Connecticut? All 86 species
Ranked by licensed records in Connecticut. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 86 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | Tetragnathidae | 84 | 8.4% |
| 2 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | Pisauridae | 64 | 6.4% |
| 3 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 51 | 5.1% |
| 4 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 48 | 4.8% |
| 5 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 45 | 4.5% |
| 6 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 38 | 3.8% |
| 7 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | Pisauridae | 37 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 33 | 3.3% |
| 9 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 31 | 3.1% |
| 10 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | Araneidae | 28 | 2.8% |
| 11 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 23 | 2.3% |
| 12 | Garden spider Araneus diadematus | Araneidae | 22 | 2.2% |
| 13 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | Salticidae | 20 | 2.0% |
| 14 | Paraphidippus aurantius | Salticidae | 19 | 1.9% |
| 15 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 18 | 1.8% |
| 16 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | Araneidae | 17 | 1.7% |
| 17 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 15 | 1.5% |
| 18 | Flower crab spider Mecaphesa asperata | Thomisidae | 14 | 1.4% |
| 19 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 14 | 1.4% |
| 20 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 14 | 1.4% |
| 21 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | Thomisidae | 13 | 1.3% |
| 22 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 12 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 10 | 1.0% |
| 24 | Boreal combfoot Steatoda borealis | Theridiidae | 9 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | Salticidae | 9 | 0.9% |
| 26 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | Lycosidae | 9 | 0.9% |
| 27 | Common white-cheeked jumping spider Pelegrina proterva | Salticidae | 8 | 0.8% |
| 28 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 8 | 0.8% |
| 29 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 8 | 0.8% |
| 30 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 7 | 0.7% |
| 31 | Bridge orbweaver Larinioides sclopetarius | Araneidae | 7 | 0.7% |
| 32 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | Linyphiidae | 7 | 0.7% |
| 33 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | Salticidae | 7 | 0.7% |
| 34 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | Pholcidae | 7 | 0.7% |
| 35 | Broad-faced sac spider Trachelas tranquillus | Trachelidae | 6 | 0.6% |
| 36 | Drumming sword wolf spider Gladicosa gulosa | Lycosidae | 6 | 0.6% |
| 37 | Eastern cave long-jawed spider Meta ovalis | Tetragnathidae | 6 | 0.6% |
| 38 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | Salticidae | 6 | 0.6% |
| 39 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | Salticidae | 6 | 0.6% |
| 40 | Common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum | Theridiidae | 5 | 0.5% |
| 41 | White sac spider Elaver excepta | Clubionidae | 5 | 0.5% |
| 42 | Arrowshaped micrathena Micrathena sagittata | Araneidae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 43 | Banded fishing spider Dolomedes vittatus | Pisauridae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 44 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 45 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | Thomisidae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 46 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | Araneidae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 47 | Shamrock orbweaver Araneus trifolium | Araneidae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 48 | Western lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris | Oxyopidae | 4 | 0.4% |
| 49 | Ariadna bicolor | Segestriidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Black laceweaver Amaurobius ferox | Amaurobiidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 51 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 52 | Cone-shaped orbweaver Cyclosa conica | Araneidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 53 | Dotted wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata | Lycosidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 54 | Garden ghost spider Hibana gracilis | Anyphaenidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 55 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 56 | Pholcus manueli | Pholcidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 57 | Slender ant mimicking jumping spider Synemosyna formica | Salticidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 58 | Spitting spider Scytodes thoracica | Scytodidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 59 | Variegated ground spider Sergiolus capulatus | Gnaphosidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 60 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 2 | 0.2% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.