Snakes and spiders in Prince William County, Virginia
Prince William County, home of Manassas, has 15 snake and 56 spider species on record, from 369 licensed snake and 703 spider records. Venomous species here: the eastern copperhead, the northern black widow and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Prince William County?
Yes. The eastern copperhead: 22 licensed records, 3% of all Virginia records of it. The northern black widow: 7 licensed records, 11% of all Virginia records of it. The southern black widow: 7 licensed records, 12% of all Virginia records of it.
What snakes are in Prince William County?
In all, 15 snake species are on the Prince William County list. The most recorded are the DeKay's brown snake (95), the eastern rat snake (49) and the northern water snake (49).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Virginia records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 95 | 17% |
| 2 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | 49 | 4% |
| 3 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | 49 | 3% |
| 4 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 37 | 4% |
| 5 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 22 | 2% |
| 6 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | 22 | 3% |
| 7 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | 22 | 3% |
| 8 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 20 | 4% |
| 9 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 16 | 4% |
| 10 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | 14 | 18% |
| 11 | Queen snake Regina septemvittata | 5 | 3% |
| 12 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 3 | 2% |
| 13 | Mole kingsnake Lampropeltis rhombomaculata | 3 | 2% |
| 14 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | 3 | 2% |
| 15 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | 1 | 1% |
When are snakes out in Prince William County?
Observation records of snakes in Prince William County run mostly March through October, peaking in May with 23% of them, the same peak as Virginia as a whole.
What spiders are in Prince William County?
In all, 56 spider species are on the Prince William County list. The most recorded are the black-and-yellow argiope (38), the whitebanded crab spider (37) and the orchard orbweaver (35).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Virginia records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 38 | 10% |
| 2 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | 37 | 20% |
| 3 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | 35 | 5% |
| 4 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | 34 | 7% |
| 5 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 32 | 9% |
| 6 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 24 | 6% |
| 7 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 20 | 5% |
| 8 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | 19 | 11% |
| 9 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | 19 | 7% |
| 10 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | 14 | 16% |
| 11 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 13 | 8% |
| 12 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | 13 | 3% |
| 13 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | 13 | 7% |
| 14 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 13 | 10% |
| 15 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 13 | 6% |
| 16 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | 13 | 5% |
| 17 | Arrowshaped micrathena Micrathena sagittata | 12 | 11% |
| 18 | Basilica orbweaver Mecynogea lemniscata | 12 | 15% |
| 19 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | 12 | 3% |
| 20 | Paraphidippus aurantius | 11 | 4% |
| 21 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | 11 | 11% |
| 22 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | 10 | 15% |
| 23 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | 9 | 3% |
| 24 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | 9 | 8% |
| 25 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | 8 | 14% |
| 26 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | 8 | 5% |
| 27 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | 8 | 5% |
| 28 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 8 | 6% |
| 29 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | 8 | 5% |
| 30 | Black-banded crab spider Synema parvulum | 7 | 6% |
| 31 | Blacktailed red sheetweaver Florinda coccinea | 7 | 19% |
| 32 | Butterfly orbweaver Araneus pegnia | 7 | 15% |
| 33 | Canopy jumping spider Phidippus otiosus | 7 | 11% |
| 34 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | 7 | 6% |
| 35 | Northern black widow venomous Latrodectus variolus | 7 | 11% |
| 36 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 7 | 12% |
| 37 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | 6 | 6% |
| 38 | Two-lined stealthy ground spider Cesonia bilineata | 6 | 38% |
| 39 | Dotted wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata | 5 | 14% |
| 40 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | 5 | 29% |
| 41 | White micrathena Micrathena mitrata | 5 | 4% |
| 42 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 4 | 5% |
| 43 | Difoliate orbweaver Acacesia hamata | 4 | 18% |
| 44 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | 4 | 4% |
| 45 | Whitman's jumping spider Phidippus whitmani | 4 | 8% |
| 46 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | 3 | 2% |
| 47 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | 3 | 5% |
| 48 | Ribbon jumping spider Metacyrba taeniola | 3 | 6% |
| 49 | Banded fishing spider Dolomedes vittatus | 2 | 3% |
| 50 | Labyrinth orbweaver Metepeira labyrinthea | 2 | 2% |
| 51 | Tigrosa annexa | 2 | 4% |
| 52 | Drumming sword wolf spider Gladicosa gulosa | 1 | 2% |
| 53 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | 1 | 2% |
| 54 | Allocosa funerea | — | — |
| 55 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | — | — |
| 56 | Trochosa sepulchralis | — | — |
When are spiders out in Prince William County?
Observation records of spiders in Prince William County run mostly April through October, peaking in September with 22% of them, the same peak as Virginia as a whole.
What stands out in Prince William County
Species for which Prince William County holds a large share of all Virginia records: the whitebanded crab spider, 20% (37 of 182); the prairie kingsnake, 18% (14 of 78); the DeKay's brown snake, 17% (95 of 545); the brilliant jumping spider, 16% (14 of 87); the bowl and doily spider, 15% (10 of 65).
Common in Virginia, not on the Prince William County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Virginia, these do not reach the county list: the brown water snake (479 statewide), the northern cottonmouth (349 statewide) and the timber rattlesnake (242 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Prince William County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the eastern rat snake, the northern water snake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. No cottonmouths reach the county list, but the northern cottonmouth is on the Virginia list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the northern water snake. No rattlesnakes reach the county list, but the timber rattlesnake is on the Virginia list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the eastern hog-nosed snake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the triangulate bud spider.
Prince William County among Virginia counties
By licensed snake records Prince William County ranks 4th of 129 Virginia counties with any.
Other Virginia counties with their own page: Fairfax County, Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Loudoun County, Arlington County and Hanover County.
The whole state: venomous species in Virginia, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.