What are the most common types of spiders in Arkansas? If you live in or near this southern state, you will likely find at least one or two creepy crawlers in your home, office, or other property.
Here are Arkansas’s 26 most common spiders that you should watch for. Experts have ranked these spiders as most to least common.
This ranking is based on insights from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and the Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences.
1. Common House Spider
The Common House Spider is very common in North America and can be found in most states. There are many other species of house spiders in the U.S., but only two can be found in your home: the black widow and the brown recluse. For most people, however, the Common House Spider is enough to creep them out.
When these guys make their webs inside homes, these types of spiders in Arkansas usually set up shop near a window or door where they can easily escape when threatened by an animal or human intruder.
While these spiders are not known for biting humans like others, they can still produce enough venom to cause pain and localized redness.
2. Spotted Orb Weaver
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders, which is all too common in the United States. Many worry about coming in contact with these tiny creatures as they invade our homes.
Luckily, many types of spiders in Arkansas help allay any fears you may have of arachnids lurking nearby.
And if you do find a spider or two in your home, don’t panic. We’ve compiled a list of 27 types of spiders in Arkansas to understand better what might be crawling around on your property.
Remember: not all spiders are dangerous, and most can help catch pests like flies and mosquitoes near your home.
3. Arrow-Shaped Micrathena
Though many species of Micrathena spiders can be found in the U.S., you are most likely to find one that has an arrow-shaped and silver-blue coloring.
These types of spiders in Arkansas typically have a body length of around 0.5 inches, comparable to most common household spiders like the Black Widow or Brown Recluse spider.
Interestingly enough, even though they are usually in size compared to other common spiders, these types of spiders in Arkansas have one distinctive quality that makes them very different–their heads only include six eyes.
In contrast, other spiders have eight or more. Because of this, it is hard for these types of Micrathena to see things clearly without moving their heads from side to side constantly.
4. Banded Garden Spider
The banded garden spider lives in all areas of the world except for Antarctica. These spiders in Arkansas usually get around 10mm, about the nickel size.
They’re normally found on plants and other low-growing things outdoors and indoors under pot lids, rock slabs, or anything else they can find that has an opening large enough to fit through.
In these types of spiders in Arkansas, the average lifespan of a banded garden spider ranges from 6 months to 2 years.
While they’re capable of weaving webs like other spiders, they’re also able to spin a webless funnel-shaped trap called a spinnerette that captures any insect unlucky enough to blunder into it. Once caught, the prey will get bitten by the spider until it stops moving before it’s eaten.
5. Yellow Garden Spider
Yellow Garden Spiders are not harmful, and they’re rather docile. Unlike most spiders, the Yellow Garden spiders in Arkansas prefer to stay in one spot instead of scurrying around looking for food. The garden spider will weave its web among flowers, shrubs, and tall grasses.
It’s important to note that female spiders can produce up to 400 eggs each season, but only around 10% of these eggs will make it through the winter months.
Female yellow garden spiders in Arkansas can produce 400 eggs per season, though only about 10% of those eggs will make it through winter.
A female spider may produce 5-9 egg sacs throughout her lifetime, and this period may last 2-3 years if conditions remain favorable.
6. Long-Palped Ant Mimic Sac Spider
This type of spider in Arkansas is found only in Arkansas and Tennessee, where they make their nests under the thick webs they weave between tree trunks and branches.
They are named after their long palps, which look like antennae. When hunting, they sit motionless in their web, waiting for prey to happen by.
Then, it swings down on a strand of silk from its web, bites the victim, and drags it back into the nest. These types of spiders in Arkansas live in trees about 13-30 meters above the ground.
However, for this spider to be recognized as a member of this species, at least four nearby trees must meet these conditions within one field of view around you.
7. Southern House Crevice Weaver
We often fear spiders, but sometimes they’re all around us. This post explores 27 types of spiders in Arkansas. The Southern House Crevice Weaver spider is commonly found in the corners of window sills and screens and is well camouflaged.
Southern House Crevice Weaver spider resembles a small black ant or beetle with a spherical body, which usually stands on its four legs.
Most notably, the Southern House Crevice Weaver has two very prominent eyes that create an almond-shaped body in contrast to a cephalothorax shape found in other species of this genus.
There are many more fascinating facts about these types of spiders living near you: Broad Fronted Jumping Spider, Carolina Wolf Spider, and Carolina Jumper Spider, to name a few.
8. Eastern Parson Spider
If you’re someone who enjoys spending time outside, this post is for you. Did you know that there are 27 types of spiders in Arkansas?
With over 45,000 different species worldwide, not to mention new ones being discovered every day, it seems like a daunting task to try and familiarize yourself with each type of spider.
The reality is as long as you know what signs to look for when it comes to dangerous or poisonous spiders (i.e., big body size and lots of leg joints), then that’s enough information to go on to avoid any potential issues. But if you want more information, we’ve compiled a list of the 27 types of spiders in Arkansas below
9. Ground Spider
The ground spider is a common species of orb weaver. These types of spiders in Arkansas usually can be found in the North, but they are widespread across the U.S.
The female has a brownish body with a shiny amber-colored pattern on the front. The males tend to have yellow or light green stripes on their abdomen.
Females lay their eggs under bark, logs, and rocks during the summer and fall. These types of spiders in Arkansas feed mainly on ground-dwelling insects like grasshoppers and flies attracted to light sources in yards at nightfall when the spiders are out looking for food.
They’re not dangerous and will run away if approx or other creatures. The approach too closely spiders in Arkansas bite may cause some discomfort to humans, but it is not considered dangerous either way.
10. Rabid Wolf Spider
Rabid Wolf Spider- The Rabid Wolf Spider is a forest spider that builds webs among foliage near water. It is characterized by the light brown color of its cephalothorax, while its abdomen has a vivid dark red or orange hue.
These spiders in Arkansas become adults in late summer or early fall and can sometimes be found year-round on plants close to water. The Rabid Wolf Spider is non-aggressive and non-venomous.
11. Green Lynx
Araneus cingulatus is a spider found throughout the United States and Canada. These spiders in Arkansas have an orb web with intersecting spirals, though they don’t build webs like the more commonly seen garden spiders.
Unlike most other types of spiders, these in Arkansas do not possess venom to paralyze their prey; instead, they use the thicker web strands to immobilize them.
These strands are strong enough to hold even heavy prey until it dies. There are two main varieties of green lynx spiders: Araneus cingulatus Tigris and Araneus cingulatus verrucosa.
12. Black-Footed Yellow Sac Spider
The Black-Footed Yellow Sac Spider is one of the few spiders you may not even know is in your backyard. These spiders in Arkansas are not as bad as many other species, but they can still give you a painful bite that takes a week to heal.
These types of spiders in Arkansas are found in dry, moist, and sheltered areas and love to live in webs of all shapes and sizes. The best way to spot them is by looking for small yellow sacs on trees or shrubs that have webbing attached.
13. Swamp Wolf Spider
These types of spiders in Arkansas are very large and tend to thrive in dry climates like those in Central America. They also have dark fur on their bodies yellow or orange-brown markings all over their legs, and a black band around the abdomen.
The last two facts easily tell that this is not a venomous spider. First, these spiders in Arkansas prefer to build their webs near ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, streams, or creeks because they need water to breed and lay eggs.
14. Speckled Wolf Spider
The Speckled Wolf Spider has a yellow cephalothorax and a yellowish-brown abdomen. These types of spiders in Arkansas have longitudinal bands chevron-shaped on the abdomen.
This spider can grow two inches long and usually lives in weedy areas or around trees.
Although this type of spider in Arkansas is not evil, it can deliver a nasty bite that feels like pinching due to the high number of bristles on its legs and body.
As such, you should wear gloves when handling this type of spider to avoid a possible scratch or puncture wound. This species may also use bright colors as camouflage when attempting to hide among flowers.
15. Zebra Back
One of the unique spiders in Arkansas is the Zebra Back spider. This arachnid is typically found in the south but may wander up to a hundred miles from its breeding grounds. Luckily, they are also small enough that they don’t cause any real damage.
These types of spiders in Arkansas typically roam between one and two feet above the ground, making them visible to humans who want to go into their yard more often (though doing so might prove more dangerous for this particular creature!).
The Zebra back spider lives a wandering lifestyle with an intense thirst for fluids such as nectar and other insects like ants and grasshoppers.
16. Tan Jumping Spider
The Tan Jumping Spider is small, measuring less than 10mm in body length. These types of spiders in Arkansas have eight eyes arranged in two rows of four.
The males are usually brown or yellow, with three large black spots on the back of the abdomen.
These types of spiders in Arkansas females have a tan-colored cephalothorax, and the abdomen may be either light brown, tan, or dark grey.
Females are often mistaken for other species because they vary in coloration and markings. Females have been observed to change color at different stages of their development and only mate with one male per season.
Types of spiders in Arkansas males often look very similar to females until adulthood, when their coloring changes and more apparent genitalia can be seen between their second pair of legs.
17. Gray Wall Jumping Spider
Gray Wall Jumping Spider, one of the smallest spiders in North America, can also be one of the most ferocious. However, these spiders in Arkansas are generally not dangerous and are mostly seen in cellars and window wells.
Although many claim that Gray Wall Jumping Spiders are only about a millimeter long, research has shown them to range from .3 mm to .5 mm, and their abdomen can be anywhere from .8 mm to 1.2 mm.
These types of spiders in Arkansas, their jumping power isn’t what they’re famous for, though- they shoot silk out at their victims like a web-shooter so they can bind them with invisible ropes before attacking with their fangs. Their bites are said to feel like bee stings or just pricks if no venom was released.
18. Dark Fishing Spider
The dark fishing spider is a small, flat-bodied spider that lives at the water’s edge and moves by wiggling its body like an inchworm.
The dark fishing types of spiders in Arkansas catch prey by dangling their silk threads into the water to make traps and waiting for unsuspecting prey to get caught.
These spiders’ favorite food is insects, especially mosquitoes and midges, but they also enjoy fish eggs, tadpoles, and even other spiders.
It often feeds at night. Females can lay up to one hundred eggs in a large cluster near their wetland home between June and September; they guard the egg cluster fiercely until they hatch in September or October, when there are usually only four to five spiderlings remaining.
19. Long-Bodied Cellar Spider
It is called the long-bodied cellar spider because of its long and thin abdomen. The types of spiders in Arkansas spin a small, dense web and hold it near the entrance to a cellar, brush heap, or other such location where crickets are abundant.
When crickets are trapped in the web, they struggle and cause vibrations that females can detect while they wait on an overhead beam or the eave just outside their web.
Once vibration signals indicate that she has captured prey, she spins an egg sac and carries it inside her lair to preserve for later use. The female lives by herself, eating her eggs to maintain herself when no prey is available.
20. Southern Black Widow
Southern Black Widow spiders can be found in the Southern United States, west of Arizona and Texas. These spiders in Arkansas have shiny jet-black bodies with an hourglass shape on their typically red abdomen.
The hourglass shape is red only if the spider is sexually mature. Young widows are yellow with a red band at the end of their abdomen, like a blood drop with a small dot in the center.
Females are typically 2 inches in length, males are less than one inch, and younger females may not even be 1/2 inch long.
As a result, there are two types of Southern Black Widows: the Latrodectus mactans variety and the Latrodectus variety.
21. Chocolate Tarantula
When most people think of spiders, the thought of them tasting good might not come to mind. But these chocolate tarantulas would be anything but pleasant if you could taste one.
Chocolate tarantulas have a body ranging from tan to deep mahogany brown, and they live primarily in dry climates.
These types of spiders in Arkansas typically only make up an average of 1% of all spiders, so they are rather uncommon-although not always safe.
The silver lining is that they can’t survive freezing temperatures either, so they can’t survive in colder areas like Arkansas!
22. Orchard Orb Weaver
Orchard Orb Weavers can be identified by their shiny, two-inch webs, which they build in orchards, gardens, and trees.
These spiders in Arkansas web are often visible during the day because they have such a reflective surface.
However, at night, the brightly colored spider sits in the center of its web like a beacon, attracting prey trapped by the sticky threads.
These spiders in Arkansas usually leave behind two thin silk trails (called stabilimenta) to give them better balance while they travel across their web to avoid getting knocked off during strong winds.
In addition, this spider’s black and yellow coloring makes it very noticeable to predators. It has helped save many other creatures from being eaten before making a meal for these spiders themselves.
23. Brown Recluse
The brown recluse spider is a type of brown spider with an hourglass-shaped mark on its body. It is sometimes called the violin spider because of this marking.
This mark can range from a solid black line to a white or dark triangle and often has a thick edge of hair along it. The female of the species tends to be larger than the male, and these spiders grow up to 6mm in length, including their legs.
These little critters usually hunt during the night by seeking out prey that enters their territory; they’ve been known to bite if touched, but most bites come when people accidentally brush up against them while hunting or exploring your home.
24. Spitting Spider
The spitting spider is so named because it produces a thick, gluey web that resembles cobwebs and is quite sticky.
When an insect, such as a fly or mosquito, lands on the web, it gets stuck and is forcefully expelled through the thorax and head in a fluid stream.
These types of spiders in Arkansas help protect the spitting spider as they prey primarily on mosquitoes, which transmit disease and can irritate many people with allergies.
This species is also great for people with outdoor weddings or children with eczema. The spitting spider also does not build large, intricate webs like other spiders and makes more simple circular patterns.
They’re usually found hanging out in low branches near water sources like lakes or rivers, where mosquitoes are abundant.
25. Goldenrod Crab or Flower Spider
The goldenrod crab spider is one of the larger spiders found in Arkansas. These spiders in Arkansas bodies are about a quarter-inch long, making webs about three inches across.
The spider catches its prey by disguising itself as a flower and waving its legs to attract unsuspecting insects.
Once an insect lands on the web, the crab will rush out and catch it with her huge front legs before consuming it with her head on her next six smaller legs.
If you are brave enough to get close to these spiders, they emit an unpleasant smell to keep predators away.
26. Common House Spider
The common house spider, the orb weaver, is one of the most common. These spiders in Arkansas weave their webs in basements, outbuildings, fences, and garages.
In gardens, they are sometimes found under stones or other objects that may serve as shelter for prey. These spiders vary greatly; some spanning only a few feet, while others can reach as far as 30 feet.
The web is typically an umbrella-like shape with two concentric circles hung with zigzag threads. The gadget is fairly strong and often has small insects stuck on it.
