Spiders in Missouri
Missouri has 117 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 2,333 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the brown recluse, the bold jumper and the familiar jumping spider. Medically significant: the brown recluse, the northern black widow and the southern black widow.
Widow spiders in Missouri
Widow spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the northern black widow (31), ahead of the southern black widow (7).
Observation records of the northern black widow in Missouri run mostly April through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Boone County, Texas County and Greene County.
Recluse spiders in Missouri
One species of this group is listed for Missouri: the brown recluse, with 174 records (7% of the state's spider records).
Observation records of the brown recluse in Missouri run mostly April through October, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Johnson County, St. Louis County and Boone County.
Jumping spiders in Missouri
Jumping spiders dominate the spider record of Missouri: 29 species and 27% of all records. The most recorded is the bold jumper (167), ahead of the familiar jumping spider (154).
Plus 17: Sylvan jumping spider, White-jawed jumping spider, Common white-cheeked jumping spider, Bronze jumper, Four-lined slender jumping spider, Thin-spined jumping spider, Hammerjawed jumper, Sassacus papenhoei, Apache jumping spider, Canopy jumping spider, Colonus puerperus, Habronattus coecatus, High eye-lashed jumping spider, Short-bellied slender jumping spider, Slender ant mimicking jumping spider, Asian wall jumper, Cardinal jumper.
Observation records of the bold jumper in Missouri run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Texas County, St. Louis County and Johnson County. Observation records of the familiar jumping spider in Missouri run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Texas County, St. Louis County and Boone County. Observation records of Paraphidippus aurantius in Missouri run mostly May through July, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Texas County, St. Louis County and Boone County.
Wolf spiders in Missouri
Wolf spiders: twelve species are listed for Missouri, with 132 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the rabid wolf spider (53), ahead of the wetland giant wolf spider (20).
Observation records of the rabid wolf spider in Missouri run mostly May through September, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Texas County, Jackson County and DeKalb County.
Orb weavers in Missouri
Orb weavers: 28 species are listed for Missouri, with 455 records (20% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the black-and-yellow argiope (86), ahead of the arrowhead orbweaver (58).
Plus 16: Sixspotted orbweaver, Tuftlegged orbweaver, Labyrinth orbweaver, Red-femured spotted orbweaver, Butterfly orbweaver, Cyclosa turbinata, Openfield orbweaver, Cone-shaped orbweaver, Giant lichen orbweaver, Humpbacked orbweaver, Lined orbweaver, Red-spotted orbweaver, Difoliate orbweaver, Greenlegged orbweaver, Toadlike bolas spider, Mangora spiculata.
Observation records of the black-and-yellow argiope in Missouri run mostly July through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Texas County, St. Louis County and Boone County. Observation records of the arrowhead orbweaver in Missouri run mostly July through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Texas County, Dent County and Platte County. Observation records of the spined micrathena in Missouri run mostly July through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Platte County, Texas County and Jackson County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Missouri
One species of this group is listed for Missouri: the orchard orbweaver, with 71 records (3% of the state's spider records).
Observation records of the orchard orbweaver in Missouri run mostly April through August, peaking in May; most licensed records come from St. Louis County, Platte County and Shannon County.
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Missouri
Fishing and nursery web spiders: seven species are listed for Missouri, with 184 records (8% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the nursery web spider (72), ahead of the dark fishing spider (51).
Observation records of the nursery web spider in Missouri run mostly May through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Texas County, Dent County and St. Louis County. Observation records of the dark fishing spider in Missouri run mostly March through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Texas County, Dent County and Warren County.
Tarantulas in Missouri
One species of this group is listed for Missouri: the Texas brown tarantula, with 29 records (1% of the state's spider records).
Crab spiders in Missouri
Crab spiders: ten species are listed for Missouri, with 117 records (5% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the whitebanded crab spider (38), ahead of the black-banded crab spider (29).
Observation records of the whitebanded crab spider in Missouri run mostly June through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from DeKalb County, Texas County and Boone County.
Cobweb spiders in Missouri
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the triangulate bud spider (25), ahead of the common house spider (11).
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Missouri
One species of this group is listed for Missouri: the barn funnel weaver, with 2 records (0.1% of the state's spider records).
Lynx spiders in Missouri
Lynx spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.4% of records between them. The most recorded is the striped lynx spider (9), ahead of the green lynx spider (1).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Missouri
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the filmy dome spider (12), ahead of the bowl and doily spider (11).
Ground and sac spiders in Missouri
Ground and sac spiders are a small part of the spider record here: five species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the parson spider (14), ahead of the garden ghost spider (4).
Other spiders in Missouri
Other spiders are a small part of the spider record here: twelve species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the longbodied cellar spider (9), ahead of Pholcus crypticolens (9).
Where in Missouri are spiders recorded most?
St. Louis County leads with 499 records (21%), followed by Texas County and Johnson County; the top five counties hold 49% of the total. 96 of Missouri's 114 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis County | 499 | 21.4% |
| 2 | Texas County | 250 | 10.7% |
| 3 | Johnson County | 177 | 7.6% |
| 4 | Boone County | 116 | 5.0% |
| 5 | DeKalb County | 90 | 3.9% |
| 6 | Platte County | 84 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Dent County | 82 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Jackson County | 81 | 3.5% |
| 9 | Shannon County | 44 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Greene County | 44 | 1.9% |
| 11 | Lincoln County | 42 | 1.8% |
| 12 | Jefferson County | 40 | 1.7% |
When do spiders come out in Missouri?
Observation records of spiders in Missouri run mostly April through October, peaking in August with 17% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so spiders in Missouri are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from April to May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 1% | 3% | 8% | 15% | 15% | 14% | 17% | 14% | 9% | 3% | 1% |
Spiders: Missouri compared with its neighbors
Missouri ranks 28th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed, level with Mississippi; Texas leads with 386 species.
Of the eight states bordering Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Tennessee list more spider species (Missouri: 117 species; Illinois 243, Oklahoma 149, Tennessee 138, Arkansas 114, Kentucky 103, Kansas 94, Nebraska 71, Iowa 57).
What spiders are in Missouri? All 117 species
Ranked by licensed records in Missouri. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 117 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | Sicariidae | 174 | 7.5% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 167 | 7.2% |
| 3 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 154 | 6.6% |
| 4 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 86 | 3.7% |
| 5 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | Pisauridae | 72 | 3.1% |
| 6 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | Tetragnathidae | 71 | 3.0% |
| 7 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | Araneidae | 58 | 2.5% |
| 8 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | Araneidae | 56 | 2.4% |
| 9 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | Lycosidae | 53 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 51 | 2.2% |
| 11 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 50 | 2.1% |
| 12 | Paraphidippus aurantius | Salticidae | 47 | 2.0% |
| 13 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 38 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 37 | 1.6% |
| 15 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | Salticidae | 34 | 1.5% |
| 16 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | Araneidae | 32 | 1.4% |
| 17 | Northern black widow venomous Latrodectus variolus | Theridiidae | 31 | 1.3% |
| 18 | Black-banded crab spider Synema parvulum | Thomisidae | 29 | 1.2% |
| 19 | Texas brown tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi | Theraphosidae | 29 | 1.2% |
| 20 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 26 | 1.1% |
| 21 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 25 | 1.1% |
| 22 | White micrathena Micrathena mitrata | Araneidae | 23 | 1.0% |
| 23 | Arrowshaped micrathena Micrathena sagittata | Araneidae | 21 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | Salticidae | 21 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | Pisauridae | 21 | 0.9% |
| 26 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 20 | 0.9% |
| 27 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 19 | 0.8% |
| 28 | Whitman's jumping spider Phidippus whitmani | Salticidae | 17 | 0.7% |
| 29 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 17 | 0.7% |
| 30 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | Salticidae | 16 | 0.7% |
| 31 | Pisaurina dubia | Pisauridae | 16 | 0.7% |
| 32 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | Thomisidae | 15 | 0.6% |
| 33 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 15 | 0.6% |
| 34 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | Salticidae | 15 | 0.6% |
| 35 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 15 | 0.6% |
| 36 | Dotted wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata | Lycosidae | 14 | 0.6% |
| 37 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 14 | 0.6% |
| 38 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | Salticidae | 13 | 0.6% |
| 39 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | Salticidae | 13 | 0.6% |
| 40 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | Linyphiidae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 41 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | Pisauridae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 42 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | Salticidae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 43 | Woodland giant wolf spider Tigrosa aspersa | Lycosidae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 44 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 45 | Common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum | Theridiidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 46 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | Lycosidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 47 | Nearctic white-striped running crab spider Philodromus rufus | Philodromidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 48 | Starbellied orbweaver Acanthepeira stellata | Araneidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 49 | Flower crab spider Mecaphesa asperata | Thomisidae | 10 | 0.4% |
| 50 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | Pholcidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 51 | Pholcus crypticolens | Pholcidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 52 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | Oxyopidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 53 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 8 | 0.3% |
| 54 | Heptagonal orbweaver Gea heptagon | Araneidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 55 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 56 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | Theridiidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 57 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | Araneidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 58 | Banded fishing spider Dolomedes vittatus | Pisauridae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 59 | Common white-cheeked jumping spider Pelegrina proterva | Salticidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 60 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 6 | 0.3% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.