Snakes and spiders in Comal County, Texas
Comal County, home of New Braunfels, has 19 snake and 32 spider species on record, from 232 licensed snake and 373 spider records. Venomous species here: the western diamondback rattlesnake, the Texas coral snake, the northern cottonmouth, the brown recluse and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Comal County?
Yes. The western diamondback rattlesnake: 19 licensed records, 1% of all Texas records of it. The Texas coral snake: 10 licensed records, 2% of all Texas records of it. The northern cottonmouth: 4 licensed records, 0% of all Texas records of it. The brown recluse: 2 licensed records, 2% of all Texas records of it. The southern black widow: 1 licensed record, 0% of all Texas records of it.
What snakes are in Comal County?
In all, 19 snake species are on the Comal County list. The most recorded are the plain-bellied watersnake (22), the western diamondback rattlesnake (19) and the western ribbon snake (18).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 22 | 1% |
| 2 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | 19 | 1% |
| 3 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | 18 | 1% |
| 4 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 17 | 1% |
| 5 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 16 | 1% |
| 6 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | 14 | 1% |
| 7 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 12 | 3% |
| 8 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 12 | 1% |
| 9 | Blackneck garter snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis | 11 | 3% |
| 10 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | 10 | 1% |
| 11 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | 10 | 1% |
| 12 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 10 | 1% |
| 13 | Texas coral snake venomous Micrurus tener | 10 | 2% |
| 14 | Texas patch-nosed snake Salvadora lineata | 8 | 7% |
| 15 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | 6 | 1% |
| 16 | Great Plains rat snake Pantherophis emoryi | 5 | 1% |
| 17 | Striped whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus | 5 | 1% |
| 18 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 3 | 0% |
When are snakes out in Comal County?
Observation records of snakes in Comal County run mostly March through October, peaking in April with 28% of them, the same peak as Texas as a whole.
What spiders are in Comal County?
In all, 32 spider species are on the Comal County list. The most recorded are the giant lichen orbweaver (21), the rabid wolf spider (19) and the black-and-yellow argiope (16).
Related species: Cicurina arcuata
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giant lichen orbweaver Araneus bicentenarius | 21 | 13% |
| 2 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 19 | 2% |
| 3 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 16 | 1% |
| 4 | Eidmannella rostrata | 16 | 17% |
| 5 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 13 | 1% |
| 6 | Cicurina varians | 12 | 2% |
| 7 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | 12 | 2% |
| 8 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 11 | 2% |
| 9 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | 9 | 1% |
| 10 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 6 | 1% |
| 11 | Gladicosa pulchra | 5 | 12% |
| 12 | Naphrys acerba | 4 | 7% |
| 13 | Texas brown tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi | 4 | 1% |
| 14 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | 4 | 1% |
| 15 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 3 | 1% |
| 16 | Hogna antelucana | 3 | 0% |
| 17 | Southwestern trapdoor spider Eucteniza relata | 3 | 7% |
| 18 | Western spotted orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis | 3 | 1% |
| 19 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | 2 | 2% |
| 20 | Carolina jumping spider Phidippus carolinensis | 2 | 1% |
| 21 | Cardinal jumper Phidippus cardinalis | 1 | 1% |
| 22 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 1 | 1% |
| 23 | Cribellate spider Metaltella simoni | 1 | 0% |
| 24 | Humpbacked orbweaver Eustala anastera | 1 | 1% |
| 25 | Mecaphesa dubia | 1 | 1% |
| 26 | Phidippus arizonensis | 1 | 1% |
| 27 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 1 | 0% |
| 28 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 1 | 0% |
| 29 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | — | — |
| 30 | Phidippus texanus | — | — |
| 31 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | — | — |
| 32 | Texas tan tarantula Aphonopelma anax | — | — |
When are spiders out in Comal County?
Observation records of spiders in Comal County run mostly March through October, peaking in April with 21% of them, the same peak as Texas as a whole.
What stands out in Comal County
Species for which Comal County holds a large share of all Texas records: Eidmannella rostrata, 17% (16 of 96).
Common in Texas, not on the Comal County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Texas, these do not reach the county list: the western ground snake (1,963 statewide), the gopher snake (1,440 statewide) and the eastern copperhead (1,188 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Comal County
No copperheads reach the county list, but the eastern copperhead and the broad-banded copperhead are on the Texas list: treat any snake like them as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the plain-bellied watersnake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the diamondback water snake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the eastern hog-nosed snake and the Great Plains rat snake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the triangulate bud spider.
Comal County among Texas counties
By licensed snake records Comal County ranks 48th of 254 Texas counties with any.
Other Texas counties with their own page: Travis County, Brewster County, Harris County, Brazos County, El Paso County, Jeff Davis County, Val Verde County and Bexar County.
The whole state: venomous species in Texas, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.