Common Spiders in Texas: Identification Guide for 20 Species

Texas is home to nearly 900 spider species, yet only two groups pose real danger to humans. Before you panic at the sight of eight legs scurrying across your floor, you’ll want to know which spiders deserve your caution and which ones are simply doing pest control work in your home.

This guide walks you through 20 of the most common spiders in Texas, helping you identify them by appearance, behavior, and habitat so you can respond appropriately when you encounter them.

Different Types of Spiders in Texas

Texas Brown Tarantula

The Texas brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi) ranks as the largest spider you’ll encounter in the Lone Star State, yet it’s surprisingly docile for its intimidating size. You’ll find these gentle giants primarily in grasslands and desert areas of West and Central Texas.

Physical Characteristics

These impressive arachnids can reach a leg span of over four inches, with females typically larger than males. Their bodies display a dark brown to black coloration, covered in fine reddish-brown hairs that give them a velvety appearance. Males develop a copper-colored sheen on their carapace as they mature, while females maintain their uniform dark coloring throughout their lives.

Habitat and Behavior

Texas brown tarantulas are terrestrial creatures that create burrows underground or repurpose abandoned rodent dens. During summer rainy seasons, you’re most likely to spot males wandering in search of mates. These nocturnal hunters emerge at dusk to feed on ground-dwelling insects like crickets, cockroaches, and beetles.

Pro Tip: Despite their fearsome appearance, Texas brown tarantulas rarely bite humans. When threatened, they prefer to flick urticating hairs from their abdomen, which can cause skin irritation but poses no serious danger.

Black Widow Spider

The black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) earns its reputation as one of only two medically significant spiders in Texas. Recognition is your first line of defense when dealing with this venomous species.

You can identify female black widows by their shiny jet-black bodies and distinctive red hourglass marking on the underside of their globular abdomen. Males are smaller, brown, and pose no threat to humans. Only the female’s bite requires medical attention.

These spiders favor protected cavities both indoors and outdoors. You’ll commonly find them in woodpiles, boxes, outdoor toilets, abandoned sheds, and cellars. They construct irregular, tangled webs near ground level in undisturbed areas.

Important Note: Black widow venom is a neurotoxin 15 times more potent than rattlesnake venom. If bitten, you may experience a pinprick sensation followed by local swelling, intense pain spreading to the abdomen and back, muscle cramps, and difficulty breathing. Seek immediate medical attention, especially for children and elderly individuals.

Brown Recluse

The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) represents the second venomous spider species you need to identify accurately in Texas. This shy, nocturnal spider prefers to avoid human contact but will bite when accidentally trapped or threatened.

Distinctive Features

The violin marking points toward the abdomen, earning this spider the nickname “fiddleback spider.” However, several harmless species display similar markings, so the six-eye arrangement provides more reliable identification.

Where You’ll Find Them

Brown recluses seek warm, dry, undisturbed locations. Check closets, attics, basements, storage boxes, and behind furniture. Outdoors, they hide under rocks, wood piles, and in garden sheds. Their presence in central and northern Texas homes makes regular inspection important.

Common Mistake: Many brown spiders get misidentified as brown recluses. Before assuming you’ve found one, verify the eye arrangement and violin pattern. When in doubt, contact a pest control professional for accurate identification.

Southern House Spider

The southern house spider (Kukulcania hibernalis) is the most frequently encountered spider in Texas homes, yet most people never notice these reclusive web-builders. Understanding this harmless species can reduce unnecessary spider anxiety.

Female southern house spiders are robust, measuring up to 20mm in body length, with a dark brown to black coloration. Males are smaller, more slender, and lighter brown with longer legs relative to their body size. Both sexes have eight eyes arranged in two rows.

You’ll discover their messy, funnel-shaped webs in protected areas around your home—window frames, door corners, attics, basements, and garage spaces. These spiders rarely venture far from their webs and contribute to pest control by catching flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects.

Key Insight: Despite their intimidating appearance, southern house spiders are completely harmless to humans. They’re actually beneficial residents that help manage insect populations without the need for chemical pesticides.

Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders (Hogna carolinensis and related species) belong to the family Lycosidae, which contains over 2,800 species worldwide. Texas hosts 238 wolf spider species, with the Carolina wolf spider being the largest.

These hunters earned their name from their wolf-like stalking behavior. Unlike orb-weavers, wolf spiders don’t build webs to catch prey. Instead, they actively chase down their targets or lie in ambush, using their excellent eyesight to detect movement.

Identification Features

Wolf spiders have robust, hairy bodies typically colored in shades of brown, gray, or black with distinctive striped or mottled patterns. Their most recognizable feature is their eye arrangement: eight eyes in three rows. The bottom row has four small eyes, the middle row contains two large prominent eyes, and the top row has two smaller eyes set far apart on either side of the head.

Female wolf spiders carry their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets, and once the spiderlings hatch, they ride on their mother’s back for protection. This maternal behavior makes them easy to identify when you spot dozens of tiny spiders clustered on an adult’s abdomen.

Habitat Preferences

You’ll find wolf spiders in grassy fields, gardens, and around building foundations. They create burrows in soil or hide under rocks, boards, and leaf litter. While primarily outdoor spiders, they occasionally wander indoors, especially at ground level in basements and garages.

Wolf spider bites are rare and not medically significant. The venom may cause local pain and swelling similar to a bee sting, but these spiders would much rather flee than bite. They’re actually beneficial predators that consume ants, flies, crickets, grasshoppers, roaches, and even other spiders.

Jumping Spider

Jumping spiders (Phidippus audax and others) rank among the most charismatic spiders you’ll encounter in Texas. With over 5,000 species worldwide and 300 in the United States, these compact hunters display remarkable intelligence and curiosity.

Physical Appearance

Jumping spiders have stout, compact bodies rarely exceeding half an inch in length. Their most distinctive feature is their large, forward-facing eyes that give them an almost mammalian appearance. The bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax), Texas’s most common species, displays a black body with white or iridescent markings, though colors vary widely across species—some are striped like zebras, while others shimmer with metallic hues.

Behavior and Hunting

These spiders possess the best vision of any spider family. Their four large anterior eyes provide excellent depth perception, allowing them to judge distances precisely before making their characteristic leaps. They don’t spin capture webs but instead stalk prey and pounce from several inches away.

You’ll spot jumping spiders in sunny locations—windowsills, doors, gardens, and outdoor walls. They move in a jerky, stop-and-start pattern and often seem to watch you with their prominent eyes. This curious behavior makes them appear intelligent and even friendly.

Pro Tip: Jumping spiders are completely harmless to humans and excel at controlling indoor insect pests. If you find one inside, you can easily relocate it outdoors or simply leave it to hunt flies and mosquitoes.

Orb-Weaver Spider

Orb-weaver spiders (Araneus spp., Argiope spp.) are the master architects of the spider world, creating the classic wheel-shaped webs you picture when you think of spider webs. These beneficial garden residents come in numerous species throughout Texas.

Members of the Araneus genus typically display round abdomens with various patterns and colors ranging from brown and gray to orange and white.

They construct large, circular webs—sometimes spanning two feet in diameter—between trees, shrubs, and building eaves. These nocturnal builders often consume and reconstruct their webs daily, recycling the protein-rich silk.

You’ll most often encounter orb-weavers in gardens, porches, and outdoor spaces where flying insects are abundant. They position themselves head-down in the center of their web or hide nearby, waiting for vibrations that signal captured prey.

Important Note: Orb-weavers are completely harmless to humans and provide excellent natural pest control. They capture mosquitoes, flies, moths, and other flying insects. Unless their webs block doorways or pathways, consider leaving them undisturbed to help manage insect populations around your property.

Garden Spider

The garden spider (Argiope aurantia), also called the black and yellow garden spider or writing spider, creates some of the most impressive webs you’ll see in Texas gardens. This large orb-weaver is both beautiful and beneficial.

Visual Identification

Female garden spiders are striking and large, with bodies reaching up to 1.5 inches. They display bold black and yellow banding on their abdomens and have silver-white cephalothoraxes. Their legs feature alternating black and yellow or orange bands. Males are much smaller, brown, and rarely noticed.

Web Characteristics

Garden spiders construct large, circular webs up to two feet across in open, sunny areas. Their most distinctive feature is the stabilimentum—a thick, zigzag band of silk running vertically through the web’s center. This white structure reflects ultraviolet light and may attract prey or warn birds to avoid flying through the web.

You’ll find these spiders in gardens, tall grass, and along building eaves where they can stretch their webs between supports. They typically position themselves head-down in the web’s center with their legs extended in an X-pattern.

While capable of biting if handled, garden spider bites are rare and cause only mild, localized pain similar to a bee sting. These spiders control pest populations by catching flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and other garden insects.

Banded Garden Spider

The banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) closely resembles its cousin, the black and yellow garden spider, but with subtle differences in coloration and banding patterns. This species shares the same beneficial habits and impressive web-building abilities.

Banded garden spiders display silver or white cephalothoraxes with distinctive banding on their abdomens. Their pattern typically shows broader bands of silver, yellow, or cream alternating with darker bands. The overall effect is slightly less vivid than Argiope aurantia but equally striking.

Like other Argiope species, banded garden spiders incorporate stabilimenta into their webs, though the pattern may be slightly different. They prefer similar habitats—sunny gardens, fields, and areas with abundant flying insects.

Key Insight: Both garden spider species are entirely harmless to humans and highly beneficial for natural pest management. Their large size and conspicuous webs may startle you, but they pose no threat and actively reduce mosquito and fly populations.

Spiny Orb-Weaver

The spiny orb-weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) stands out as one of the most unusual-looking spiders in Texas. Its bizarre appearance often causes confusion about whether it’s even a spider at all.

Unique Physical Features

This small spider has a hard, shell-like abdomen shaped roughly like a crab, with six prominent spines protruding from its edges. The abdomen displays bright colors—typically white, yellow, or orange with black spots or patterns. The hard exoskeleton and spines make it look more like a colorful seed or beetle than a traditional spider.

Size and Habitat

Despite their dramatic appearance, spiny orb-weavers are tiny, with bodies measuring only 5-9mm wide. You’ll find their small, delicate orb webs in wooded areas, gardens, and shrubby vegetation. They’re most active in fall and winter in southern Texas.

The spines likely deter bird predators from eating these small spiders. While the spines look sharp and dangerous, they’re not harmful to humans. These spiders are completely harmless and contribute to insect control by catching small flying pests in their webs.

Green Lynx Spider

The green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) brings vivid color to Texas gardens with its bright green body and impressive hunting abilities. This active predator doesn’t build webs but instead stalks prey on plants and shrubs.

You’ll recognize green lynx spiders by their striking lime-green to yellow-green coloration, long spiny legs, and elongated bodies that can reach up to 22mm in females. They have distinctive black spots or chevrons on their abdomens and long, bristly leg spines. Their large eyes are arranged in a hexagonal pattern.

These agile hunters live on vegetation, particularly in gardens, cotton fields, and weedy areas. They don’t spin webs but instead actively pursue prey on plant surfaces, leaping from leaf to leaf to catch insects. They’re particularly common on flowers where they ambush visiting pollinators.

Comparison: Lynx Spider vs. Wolf Spider

Green lynx spiders can bite if handled roughly, and females defending egg sacs may spray venom defensively. However, bites are rare and cause only temporary localized pain. These spiders provide excellent biological control of garden pests including caterpillars, beetles, and flies.

Crab Spider

Crab spiders (Thomisidae family) earn their name from their crab-like appearance and sideways scuttling movement. These ambush predators are masters of camouflage, often matching the color of the flowers they hunt on.

Members of the Thomisidae family have flattened bodies with their first two pairs of legs significantly longer than the rear pairs, giving them a distinctive crab-like stance. Many species can slowly change color to match their environment, shifting between white, yellow, and pink over several days.

You’ll find crab spiders waiting motionless on flowers, leaves, and bark. They don’t build webs but instead sit perfectly still with their front legs extended, ready to grab any insect that comes within reach. Their ambush strategy is remarkably effective—they can capture prey much larger than themselves, including bees, butterflies, and flies.

Pro Tip: Crab spiders are completely harmless to humans and rarely bite even when handled. They’re valuable allies in gardens, controlling pollinator-visiting pests without harming the plants themselves.

Long-Bodied Cellar Spider

The long-bodied cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides), commonly called the “daddy long-legs spider,” is one of the most misunderstood spiders in Texas homes. Despite urban legends about their venom potency, these fragile spiders pose no danger to humans.

Physical Characteristics

These spiders have extremely thin, elongated legs that can span up to two inches, though their bodies measure only 2-10mm in length. Their pale tan or gray coloration and cylindrical abdomens distinguish them from harvestmen (the other creatures called daddy long-legs, which aren’t spiders at all).

Habitat and Behavior

True to their name, cellar spiders inhabit dark, damp spaces—basements, crawl spaces, garages, and undisturbed corners. They build loose, irregular webs that appear messy and disorganized. When disturbed, they vibrate rapidly in their webs, becoming a blur—this defense mechanism makes them harder for predators to target.

Common Mistake: The myth that cellar spiders have the most potent venom but fangs too small to bite humans is completely false. Their venom is mild, their fangs can pierce human skin, and bites cause only minor, short-lived effects similar to a mosquito bite. In reality, these spiders are shy and virtually never bite humans.

Cellar spiders actually help control household pests by catching mosquitoes, flies, and even other spiders in their webs. Many homeowners choose to leave them undisturbed because of their beneficial pest control services.

Trapdoor Spider

Trapdoor spiders (Eucteniza spp.) represent one of Texas’s most secretive and fascinating spider groups. These primitive spiders spend most of their lives underground in silk-lined burrows topped with hinged doors.

Burrow Construction

Trapdoor spiders create vertical burrows in the soil, lining them with silk and constructing a camouflaged door from soil, vegetation, and silk. The door’s hinge allows it to open and close smoothly. The spider waits just below the closed door, detecting prey vibrations through silk trip lines extending from the burrow entrance.

Physical Features

These stocky, dark brown to black spiders have robust bodies with thick legs. Females can reach up to 1.5 inches in body length and rarely leave their burrows. Males are smaller and may wander during mating season, when you’re most likely to encounter them above ground.

You’ll find trapdoor spiders in various Texas habitats, particularly in areas with suitable soil for burrow construction. They’re most common in East and Central Texas where soil conditions favor their lifestyle.

While trapdoor spiders can bite if handled, they’re not aggressive and their venom causes only minor local effects. These secretive creatures are more interesting than dangerous, representing an ancient lineage of spiders that has changed little over millions of years.

Golden Silk Orb-Weaver

The golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes), also called the banana spider, creates some of the strongest biological materials known—their golden-colored silk has tensile properties that rival synthetic materials.

Visual Identification

Female golden silk orb-weavers are impressive in size, with bodies reaching 1-3 inches and leg spans up to five inches. They display elongated bodies with tufts of hair on their legs. Their coloration includes yellow, orange, and brown with distinctive markings. Males are tiny by comparison, measuring less than a quarter inch, and often go unnoticed in the female’s web.

Web Characteristics

These spiders construct large, semi-permanent webs—sometimes spanning three to six feet across—between trees and shrubs. The silk appears golden yellow in sunlight, giving the species its common name. The webs are incredibly strong and can catch small birds, though the spiders typically feed on flying insects.

You’ll encounter golden silk orb-weavers in wooded areas, parks, and gardens in East and Southeast Texas, where humid conditions support their preference for semi-tropical environments. They’re most abundant in late summer and fall.

While large and intimidating, golden silk orb-weavers are non-aggressive and rarely bite. If a bite occurs, effects are minimal—comparable to a bee sting with temporary localized pain and redness.

False Widow Spider

The false widow spider (Steatoda grossa) gets its name from its resemblance to true widow spiders, but it poses significantly less danger to humans. Understanding the differences helps prevent unnecessary alarm.

False widows have bulbous abdomens like black widows, but their coloring is typically dark purple-brown rather than jet black. They may display light-colored markings on their abdomens, but these markings form bands or patterns rather than the distinctive red hourglass of true widows.

You’ll find false widows in similar habitats to black widows—dark, undisturbed areas in and around structures. They build tangled, three-dimensional webs in corners, window frames, and under furniture.

Comparison: False Widow vs. Black Widow

False widow bites can occur but are much less serious than black widow bites. Effects typically include temporary localized pain, redness, and minor swelling. While not medically significant, you should still exercise caution and avoid handling any spider resembling a widow.

Ground Spider

Ground spiders (Gnaphosidae family) represent a diverse group of nocturnal hunters that you’ll rarely see during daylight hours. These fast-moving spiders live on the ground surface, hiding under debris during the day.

Members of the Gnaphosidae family typically have elongated, flattened bodies colored in shades of brown, gray, or black. They range from small to medium size, usually measuring 3-15mm in body length. Their legs are typically darker than their bodies, and they have prominent, forward-facing spinnerets.

These spiders don’t build webs to catch prey. Instead, they hunt actively at night, running down prey on the ground. During the day, they construct temporary silk retreats under rocks, boards, leaf litter, or in soil crevices.

Key Insight: Ground spiders occasionally wander into homes, particularly in fall when seeking overwintering sites. They’re completely harmless to humans and help control ground-dwelling pest insects. If you find one indoors, simply capture and release it outside.

Nursery Web Spider

The nursery web spider (Pisaurina mira) demonstrates remarkable maternal care, building special protective structures for their offspring—a behavior that sets them apart from most spider species.

Physical Description

Nursery web spiders are large, with females reaching body lengths up to 15-26mm. They display elongated bodies colored in shades of tan, brown, or gray, with a distinctive lighter-colored band running down each side of the cephalothorax and abdomen. Their long legs spread wide when at rest.

Unique Reproductive Behavior

Female nursery web spiders carry their egg sacs in their chelicerae (jaws) rather than attaching them to spinnerets like wolf spiders. When the eggs are about to hatch, the female constructs a silk nursery tent in vegetation and guards it until the spiderlings disperse.

You’ll find nursery web spiders in vegetation near water sources, gardens, and grassy areas. They’re active hunters that don’t build capture webs, though females create the characteristic nursery web when caring for young.

Pro Tip: Nursery web spiders are not aggressive toward humans but may bite defensively if they perceive threats to their nursery. Bites are rare and cause only minor, temporary discomfort. These spiders benefit your property by controlling flying and terrestrial insect pests.

Fishing Spider

Fishing spiders (Dolomedes spp.) are semi-aquatic hunters that have adapted to life near water, demonstrating remarkable abilities to walk on water surfaces and even dive beneath to escape predators or catch prey.

These impressive spiders rank among Texas’s largest, with some species achieving leg spans up to four inches. They typically display dark brown coloring with pale stripes running down each side of their bodies. Their bodies are covered in water-repellent hairs that help them walk on water by distributing their weight across surface tension.

You’ll encounter fishing spiders near streams, ponds, lakes, and occasionally in wetland vegetation. They rest on rocks, logs, or vegetation near water, with their front legs touching the surface to detect ripples from potential prey. When they sense movement, they sprint across the water to capture their target.

Prey and Hunting Methods

Despite their name, fishing spiders primarily eat insects—water striders, mosquitoes, dragonflies, and other aquatic insects. However, larger individuals can catch small fish, tadpoles, and aquatic invertebrates. They don’t build webs but instead actively hunt, using their exceptional ability to sense vibrations on the water surface.

While fishing spiders can bite if handled, they’re not aggressive and prefer to flee by running across water or diving beneath the surface. Bites are rare and cause only minor, localized effects similar to a bee sting.

Dotted Wolf Spider

The dotted wolf spider (Rabidosa punctulata) gets its common name from the distinctive pattern of small dots on its abdomen. This species represents one of Texas’s most common wolf spider variants.

Distinctive Markings

Dotted wolf spiders display brown to gray coloring with a pattern of light spots or dots on their abdomens. Like other wolf spiders, they have the characteristic eye arrangement—eight eyes in three rows with two large prominent eyes facing forward.

Habitat and Behavior

You’ll find dotted wolf spiders in various habitats including grasslands, gardens, and around building foundations. They’re ground-dwellers that create shallow burrows or hide under debris during the day, emerging at night to hunt actively for prey.

Female dotted wolf spiders exhibit the same maternal behavior as other wolf spiders—carrying their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets and allowing hatched spiderlings to ride on their backs. This makes them easy to identify during reproductive season when you might spot a female covered with dozens of tiny spiderlings.

Important Note: Like all wolf spiders in Texas, dotted wolf spiders are not dangerous to humans. Their venom causes only minor, localized effects if a bite occurs, and these spiders strongly prefer fleeing to biting. They provide valuable pest control by hunting ground-dwelling insects.

How to Prevent Spiders from Entering Your Home

Understanding spider behavior helps you implement effective prevention strategies that keep these eight-legged creatures outside where they belong.

Entry Point Management

Spiders enter homes through surprisingly small gaps and cracks. Seal openings around:

• Windows and doors with weatherstripping and door sweeps
• Foundation cracks with caulking
• Utility entry points where pipes, wires, and cables penetrate walls
• Vents with tight-fitting screens
• Gaps between siding and foundations

Habitat Modification

Reducing spider-friendly conditions around your property decreases spider populations naturally:

1. Remove outdoor hiding spots: Keep woodpiles away from structures, clear leaf litter and debris, and trim vegetation away from your home’s exterior
2. Manage outdoor lighting: Use yellow sodium vapor bulbs that attract fewer insects, reducing the food source that draws spiders near your home
3. Reduce indoor clutter: Organize storage areas, use plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes, and regularly clean basements, attics, and garages
4. Control moisture: Fix leaky pipes, use dehumidifiers in damp areas, and ensure proper drainage away from your foundation

Proactive Cleaning

Regular cleaning disrupts spider establishment before populations grow:

• Vacuum corners, baseboards, and underneath furniture weekly
• Remove visible webs promptly with a broom or vacuum attachment
• Sweep outdoor areas including porches, eaves, and garage spaces
• Shake out stored items before bringing them indoors

Pro Tip: Most spiders you find indoors arrived by accident and won’t establish permanent populations. They’re seeking either prey insects or suitable habitat. By controlling indoor insect populations and reducing hiding spots, you make your home naturally inhospitable to spiders.

When to Seek Professional Spider Control

While most spider encounters require no intervention, certain situations warrant calling professional pest control services. You should contact spider control experts when:

• You’ve identified venomous species (black widows or brown recluses) in your home
• You discover egg sacs in living spaces
• Spider populations persist despite prevention efforts
• You notice multiple spiders daily
• You or family members have spider phobies causing distress

Professional pest control technicians can accurately identify spider species, determine what’s attracting them, treat both indoor and outdoor areas with appropriate products, and provide follow-up services to ensure long-term control.

Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Spiders

Living in Texas means coexisting with a diverse spider population. By learning to identify the 20 species covered in this guide, you can distinguish genuinely dangerous spiders from harmless ones, respond appropriately to encounters, and appreciate the pest control benefits most spiders provide.

Remember that only two spider groups in Texas pose medical risks—all others contribute to natural pest management while causing no harm to humans.

With proper identification skills and reasonable prevention measures, you can maintain a comfortable, safe home while respecting these beneficial arachnids’ ecological role.