You might think that all spiders are the same, but you’d be wrong! There are many different types of spiders in Maryland, from extremely common varieties you can find almost anywhere to rare and exotic species found only in specific corners of the state.
Let’s take a closer look at the 38 most common and interesting spider types in Maryland to give you an idea of what kinds of creatures might be crawling around your house right now!
1. Spinybacked Orbweaver
The spiny-backed orb weaver is also known as the cross spider. They have a cephalothorax and an abdomen joined by a row of spines. The cephalothorax has four pairs of eyes and a pair of spinnerets at the end.
These types of spiders in Maryland are found in forests and fields but can be seen inside houses during the summer. They prey on flies, grasshoppers, beetles, wasps, and bees with their powerful venomous bite.
2. Missing Sector Orb Weaver
The Missing Sector Orb Weaver is a large, shiny spider with brown and white markings on the back. It’s usually found in wooded areas.
The webs it builds are irregularly shaped and span up to four feet wide. The spiders are often seen hanging upside down in the web and scurry away when they sense danger.
There have been reports of these spiders biting humans, but their venom is not dangerous to humans. The Missing Sector Orb Weaver is considered harmless to humans, but they should be treated cautiously because they will bite if provoked or threatened.
These types of spiders in Maryland are most commonly found in wooded areas such as forests or parks, with trees for them to build their web.
3. Arabesque Orbweaver
The Arabesque Orbweaver is a brown spider about 1/4 inch in diameter and has an oval abdomen. Females are larger than males and have a noticeable hourglass pattern on the underside of their abdomen.
Males lack this pattern but have small black dots around their eyes. The Arabesque Orbweaver prefers to live in dense vegetation such as leaf litter, which builds a nest from silk and leaves to protect its eggs.
This species can often be found on trees near streams or wooded areas. In Maryland, the Arabesque Orbweaver is mostly seen in late summer through fall.
4. Lined Orbweaver
It is a type of spider that lives in the eastern United States. Females are usually larger than males and can be identified by their reddish-brown coloration and two rows of light spots on the abdomen.
The egg sacs, which are silky and spherical, are often found in leaf litter near the female’s web.
The eggs hatch into tiny versions of the adults, ranging from 1 to 3mm in size with a leg span of up to 8mm. The orb-weaver is typically found outdoors and prefers moist habitats such as forests, wetlands, streamsides, and gardens.
5. Hentz Orbweaver
Hentz Orbweavers are types of spiders in Maryland that like to hide away from humans. They can be found near the ground on low branches and bushes, or near the bottom of plants.
They are about 1 inch wide and have a shiny black body with orange-red stripes, which is where they get their name. These spiders are not aggressive but will bite if provoked, so it’s best to leave them alone.
6. Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver
The red-femured spotted orb weaver is a medium-sized spider that can find in the eastern United States and southern Canada.
These types of spiders in Maryland have black bodies with bright red markings on their abdomen, giving them their name.
These spiders are often mistaken for brown widows because they have an hourglass pattern on their abdomens.
However, these markings are not as pronounced as those seen on the brown widow, and they are much larger, growing up to one inch long.
The males of this species also have a narrower abdomen than the females. Unlike other orb weavers, they will rest in trees, where they build webs at night to catch prey, like flying insects and moths.
7. Arrow-Shaped Orbweaver
The Arrow-Shaped Orbweaver’s genus is Neoscona, and the species is nebulosa. They are usually found in all of the eastern United States, and they have a preference for warm, moist places.
The web is usually dome-shaped with one sticky spiral, which can be up to six inches wide. It can be found in most habitats.
8. Orchard Orbweaver
The Orchard Orbweaver spider is the most commonly encountered orb weaver in Maryland. This species can be found in various habitats, including orchards and parks.
When it is time to mate, the male will build a large web with a large white zigzag pattern. The female lays her eggs nearby.
When they hatch, the baby spiders stay near the egg sac until they are big enough to hunt for themselves.
The Orchard Orbweaver is one of 38 types of spiders in Maryland you might find crawling around in Maryland.
9. Dimorphic Jumping Spider
The dimorphic jumping spider is a small spider that is usually found hanging on the webs of larger spiders as they wait for their prey to come along. This type of spider will often jump off the web and onto its prey, hence the name dimorphic.
They are brown and have long, thin bodies with six legs. They measure about 7-8mm in size and can be seen from late summer through early fall.
10. Tan Jumping Spider
The Tan Jumping Spider is native to the United States and can often be found in wooded or shrubby areas. The coloration is typically tan and can jump up to eight inches from a standing position. They hunt their prey on the ground and prefer hunting at night.
Their diet consists mainly of ants and other small insects, but they will also eat other spiders if they catch them first.
11. Shamrock Spider
The shamrock spider is a green spider found in North America. This type of spider in Maryland has two stripes on its abdomen and six eyes.
Shamrock spiders are usually found around green plants such as clover or other low-lying vegetation. However, they can also be found hunting among tall weeds and grasses near fields and meadows.
12. Furrow Spider
The Furrow Spider is a type of spider that can find in gardens, fields, and meadows. These types of spiders in Maryland range from yellowish to dark brown or black and are about 2-4mm long.
The Furrow Spider can be identified by the two distinctive rows of short spines on the top of its abdomen.
It also has a very large cephalothorax with an elevated head region. These types of spiders in Maryland do not use webs to capture prey but instead lie in wait for it to come close before pouncing and injecting venom into it.
Their venom is not deadly to humans but can cause pain and itching where they bite you and swelling at the site.
13. Bold Jumping Spider
Bold jumping spiders are one of the largest types in Maryland. These types of spiders in Maryland have a dark, oval-shaped body that measures about half an inch long, with legs about 1/4 to 1/2 inches long. Their dark body is covered with fine white hair.
Unlike most jumping spiders, they don’t build webs but hunt on the ground and can be found under leaves or rocks.
Bold jumping spiders are timid creatures and will only bite if they feel threatened or cornered by humans. The bite is not dangerous to humans but may cause swelling or itching if it breaks the skin.
14. Northern Yellow Sac Spider
The Northern Yellow Sac Spider is one of the most common spiders found in Maryland. It is a small, brownish spider with a lighter yellow and brown abdomen.
The Northern Yellow Sac Spider has six small eyes, and its fangs are only about one-quarter inch long.
This spider’s venom is not dangerous to humans, but it can produce discomforts like localized pain at the bite site, nausea, headache, and fever in rare cases.
It prefers to live under rocks or logs close to water, but it will also frequently be found on buildings or corners of windowsills.
The Northern Yellow Sac Spider builds a web that does not have an obvious pattern to it. They build this web because they eat insects that fly into their webs for prey.
15. Long Palped Ant Mimic Sac Spider
The Long Palped Ant Mimic Sac Spider is the first spider on the list. These types of spiders in Maryland have a body length that ranges from 1 to 4 mm, and they are characterized by their brown or black coloration with white markings on the abdomen area.
They are found in North America, Europe, and Asia. The Long Palped Ant Mimic Sac Spider is nocturnal and hunts for ants.
16. Red Spotted Ant Mimic Spider
Red-spotted ant mimic spiders are commonly mistaken for the dangerous redback spider. This is because they are both similar in size and have red abdomen.
The only difference is that the redback has a black stripe on its back and doesn’t have the white spots found on the red spotted ant mimic’s abdomen.
Red-backed spiders are one of the most poisonous spiders in Australia, whereas this spider only causes mild symptoms like itching and swelling at worst.
These types of spiders in Maryland like to live under logs or stones, so if you find one, just leave it alone!
17. Black and Yellow Garden Spider
The black and yellow garden spider has a body about the size of a quarter and an outstretched leg span of up to three inches.
Females are usually bigger than males but can’t tell their appearance apart. The size and coloration differences between males and females are thought to be due to sexual selection.
Females use bright colors to attract male suitors, while males rely on dark colors for camouflage as they wait in ambush for prey.
18. Magnolia Green Jumper
The Magnolia Green Jumper can be found in the eastern United States. These types of spiders in Maryland are most commonly found in areas with a high population of magnolia trees but can also be found on other plants.
The Magnolia Green Jumper has a dark green body with an orange stripe down the center and brown spots on its back.
They have eight eyes that are close together, making it hard to see their head from the front. Females average about 1/4 long, while males average about 1/8. They feed on small insects, such as ants and flies, by jumping onto them from above.
19. Running Crab Spider
The running crab spider is the most common in the United States. These types of spiders in Maryland are so common that they are often found in produce at grocery stores. Running crab spiders have tan bodies with black markings on their cephalothorax and abdomen.
They also have eight eyes – four on their face and four around their abdomen. These spiders live in fields, woodlands, and forests where they can catch prey or hide from predators.
20. Flower Crab Spider
The flower crab spider is a type of spider that is a family member of the crab spiders. It is common to find these arachnids near flowers or in other places where they can easily camouflage themselves.
These types of spiders in Maryland are typically found in gardens and fields but can also be seen on windowsills and walls.
These spiders prey on small insects like flies, ants, beetles, butterflies, and bees by either catching them in their webs or stalking them until they are within reach.
Flower crab spiders have an impressive ability to change color for camouflage purposes, and males have red coloring on the undersides of their front two legs. The females usually stay white with yellow markings on their top two legs.
21. Ground Crab Spider
The ground crab spider is a type of spider that hunts on the ground for prey. These types of spiders in Maryland are known to be active in the early hours of dawn and dusk. The ground crab spider is usually found in the eastern half of North America and China.
Ground crab spiders may be mistaken for wolf spiders because they live on the ground like wolf spiders, but they differ in a few features.
The easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at their abdomens, where you can see that the ground crab spider has pointier abdomens than a wolf spider. The ground crab also has eight eyes, while a wolf spider only has six eyes.
22. Dark Fishing Spider
The dark fishing spider is a type of fishing spider that hunts by waiting in an open area near the water. These types of spiders in Maryland are very aggressive when they feel threatened and can inflict a painful bite.
The dark fishing spider’s body length ranges from one to three inches long, with the male usually being smaller than the female.
Male spiders tend to wander about more than females. The coloration of this species ranges from light brown or gray to jet black, with the darker colors making them hard to see in their natural habitat.
Females have a round abdomen that is usually lighter in color than the rest of their bodies and a striped pattern on their back legs. Males have an orange-brown abdomen that narrows at the end and have no stripes on their back legs.
23. Deadly Ground Crab Spider
The Deadly Ground Crab Spider is one of the most dangerous spiders in Maryland. It’s a crab spider family member whose abdomen is shaped like a crab.
These types of spiders in Maryland are often found in moist and wet areas such as under rocks and logs or in leaf litter on the forest floor.
Its leg span can reach up to 1 inch wide. The species hunts using vibrations against their front two legs to detect prey on the ground.
When they come across something that could be an insect or small invertebrate, they will jump quickly onto it and use silk to trap it so they can bite it with venom that liquefies their prey’s insides and can suck out all the liquid like a shake through a straw.
24. Eastern Parson Spider
The Eastern Parson Spider is also known as the common parson spider or the furrow spider. These types of spiders in Maryland are usually brown, with two spots on the abdomen and a shiny appearance. Female Eastern Parson Spiders can grow up to an inch long.
Males are smaller than females, and their abdomens are shorter, rounder, and wider. When males mature, they develop bright colors on their abdomen.
The size of these spiders varies depending on the region in which they live. For example, Eastern Parsons in New England will be larger than those found in southern states like Florida because cold weather slows down their metabolism rates.
25. Candy Striped Spider
The candy-striped spider is one of the most commonly found spiders in the state. This species, also called the zebra spider, is usually found on tree trunks, fences, and logs. They are pale yellow to brown and have black stripes down their abdomen.
These types of spiders in Maryland can be found across North America, but they are more common in southern states like Florida and Louisiana than in Maryland.
When hunting prey, these arachnids will wait with their front legs stretched out until they come into contact with it.
Then they will wrap them up and inject venom, eventually killing the creature and liquefying its insides so that the spider can suck it up like a milkshake through their straw-like mouthparts.
26. Woodlouse Spider
The woodlouse spider ( Dysdera crocata ) is a species in the family Dysderidae, which also includes members such as the American woodlouse spider (Dysdera Americana).
The name comes from their habit of hiding under logs and stones or in damp leaf litter on the ground. They are less than an inch long when fully grown, with females larger than males.
These types of spiders in Maryland have six eyes arranged in three pairs and can be either brownish-red or metallic green in color.
Woodlouse spiders are believed to prey primarily on slugs and snails; they use silk to cover their prey before sucking out its body fluids from the front end.
27. Bowl and Doily Spider
One of the most common types of spiders in Maryland, the bowl and doily spider, is a small spider that resides in plants and other low-lying vegetation.
Their name comes from the web pattern they weave to trap prey, which looks like a doily. They are usually found near window screens or inside houses among plants or flowers.
The size ranges from 2mm to 4mm long and comes in yellow, red, brown, black, and green colors. These little spiders often have red spots on their heads for easy identification.
28. Southern Black Widow
The Southern Black Widow is one of the most common spiders in the United States. This black widow can be found throughout much of the country but is more commonly found in the southern states.
The female Southern Black Widow spider usually lays hundreds to thousands of eggs at one time, which she then wraps in a thin silk mat.
She hangs these egg sacs from her web or nearby objects. The Southern Black Widow is not aggressive and will only bite as a last resort or defense mechanism if threatened.
29. American Nursery Web Spider
The American Nursery Web Spider is a type of spider in the family Pisauridae. This spider can be found throughout the entire United States and is also one of Canada’s most commonly encountered spiders.
The scientific name for this particular species is Pisaurina Mira, and it belongs to the genus Pisaurina, which has around 15 other types of spiders.
The female spider usually reaches a size of about 1 inch long, with males being much smaller than that at about half an inch long.
They are typically brown or grayish and have an hourglass shape on their abdomen, with two dark lines running down each side.
30. Long-Bodied Cellar Spider
The Long-Bodied Cellar Spider is also known as the Long-bodied Sac Spider. These types of spiders in Maryland are typically found in dark, damp places like cellars, basements, and crawl spaces.
These spiders are not aggressive but will bite if handled or bothered. The site is considered to be painful but not serious.
The Long-Bodied Cellar Spider can reach about 1 inch in size at maturity and has a brownish body with red streaks on the sides of its abdomen and yellow spots on its head. Females have an egg sac that can be up to 3 inches long.
These types of spiders in Maryland prefer to spin webs close to corners or ceilings so that they can drop down into them from above when prey comes nearby, sensing vibrations on the floor below them.
31. American House Spider
The American House Spider is named because they are most commonly found in people’s homes. The spider is generally small, dark brown, and has a distinct abdomen pattern resembling an hourglass.
It is one of the most common spiders in North America and can be found in many different places. It eats other arthropods such as silverfish, crickets, earwigs, sowbugs, beetles, and caterpillars.
Although it is harmless to humans when left alone or handled carefully (many people keep them as pets), it can be dangerous if bitten by one because their jaws inject venom into their prey to paralyze them before eating them.
32. Rabid Wolf Spider
With a name like Rabid Wolf Spider, it should be no surprise that this guy is considered one of the most dangerous spiders in the world.
The Rabid Wolf Spider can deliver a very painful bite and should be cautiously handled. However, it is also important to note that not every Rabid Wolf Spider will exhibit these traits, so don’t panic if you see one. Just give it a wide berth and get your tetanus shot.
33. Northern Black Widow
The Northern Black Widow is one of the most common and venomous spiders. These dark-colored spiders are characterized by their shiny, hourglass-shaped abdomen that is black or sometimes brown.
The female’s body ranges from 1/4 to 3/4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Males are much smaller, typically around 3/8 inches long, with a width varying between 1/16 to 1/8 inch.
34. False Black Widow Spider
The false black widow spider is a member of the genus Steatoda, a type of arachnid that can be found worldwide.
The spiders in this family typically have an elongated abdomen, and their coloring ranges from dark brown to black with white or light-colored spots.
And while they might look similar to the real black widow spider, they’re not as vicious and are harmless.
These types of spiders in Maryland can be found in many different habitats, but you’ll commonly find them inside houses where they like to hide out around windows and doors, so always make sure you check for these guys before entering a building.
35. Spitting Spider
The spitting spider is a small spider that feeds on other, smaller spiders. The spitting spider earns its name because it shoots a stream of venom from its mouth up to 6 inches away to kill prey.
These types of spiders in Maryland are usually found in warm, temperate regions worldwide and are considered one of North America’s most poisonous spiders.
If you live in Maryland and notice small black spiders with yellow stripes on their abdomen, you may be looking at a spitting spider.
36. Rabbit Hutch Spider
The rabbit hutch spider is a type of spider that gets its name because it was originally discovered in a rabbit hutch. It’s fairly common in America, Europe, and East Asia.
These types of spiders in Maryland do not pose any threat to humans. However, the bite from this spider can produce unpleasant symptoms such as fever and headache.
37. Triangulate Cobweb Spider
Triangulate Cobweb spiders are the only ones building a triangulated web in the world. The web is not sticky, so it is not used to catch food.
Instead, these spiders rely on their prey becoming caught in the web and wrapping themselves up in it before being eaten.
Triangulatus Cobweb spiders are found mostly in Eastern North America but can also be found as far south as Florida and west as Texas.
38. Brown Recluse
The brown recluse spider is a small brown spider, often with a violin or fiddle-shaped mark on its back. Unfortunately, the violin shape isn’t always visible, and the brown recluse can be hard to see because it tends to stay hidden.
Despite its size, the brown recluse is one of the most dangerous spiders in North America. Brown recluse bites are rare, but they have caused deaths.
So unless you have a serious reaction to the bite or know it’s not a brown recluse bite, you should go to the hospital immediately and get checked out by doctors.
Conclusion
While some spiders are harmless, many types can be dangerous. Knowing which type you have is important for determining what action to take.
Many people are afraid of These types of spiders in Maryland and don’t know how to identify them, but it’s important not to panic if you find one in your home!
If you come across a spider you can’t identify, just contact us here at the University of Maryland Entomology Department, and we will be happy to help!
