Home / Orb Weavers / Gray Cross Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Gray Cross Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

The gray cross spider is a member of the family of orb weavers. While not social, these spiders often build webs close to each other and have been known to adapt to unfamiliar conditions very quickly.

Scientific Classification

Larinioides sclopetarius

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Male: 0.8-0.9 cm (0.314-0.354 in) Female: 1-1.4 cm (0.393-0.55 in)

Color: Mostly gray, but some spiders are brown.

Other Characteristic Features: The white hairs on this spider provide a silhouette for their heads.

Eggs

The eggs are laid inside a sac made up of webbing.

Spiderlings

Spiderlings are known to build their own webs, though those of the juveniles are more symmetrical than those of the adults.

The Web

These spiders tend to build larger webs of around 70 cm in diameter as they mature to accommodate themselves while also capturing prey. The webs are made close to light sources.

Is the Gray Cross Spider Venomous

Even when present together in large numbers, they typically do not bite humans. The potency of their venom is low, ranging from that of a mosquito bite to a bee sting.

Gray Cross Spider

Quick Facts

Other names Bridge Spider
Lifespan Approximately 1.5 years
Distribution North America, mainly in the Great Lake states of the US as well as in central Europe
Habitat Instead of vegetation, these spiders tend to reside on steel objects and are often found close to bridges
Common Predators Scuttle flies like Phalacrotophora epeirae and wasps like Trypoxylon attenuatum
Diet Chironomids

Did You Know

  • Swedish entomologist Carl Alexander Clerck first described this species in 1757.

Image Source: live.staticflickr.com, bugguide.net

The gray cross spider is a member of the family of orb weavers. While not social, these spiders often build webs close to each other and have been known to adapt to unfamiliar conditions very quickly.

Larinioides sclopetarius

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Male: 0.8-0.9 cm (0.314-0.354 in) Female: 1-1.4 cm (0.393-0.55 in)

Color: Mostly gray, but some spiders are brown.

Other Characteristic Features: The white hairs on this spider provide a silhouette for their heads.

Eggs

The eggs are laid inside a sac made up of webbing.

Spiderlings

Spiderlings are known to build their own webs, though those of the juveniles are more symmetrical than those of the adults.

The Web

These spiders tend to build larger webs of around 70 cm in diameter as they mature to accommodate themselves while also capturing prey. The webs are made close to light sources.

Is the Gray Cross Spider Venomous

Even when present together in large numbers, they typically do not bite humans. The potency of their venom is low, ranging from that of a mosquito bite to a bee sting.

Gray Cross Spider

Quick Facts

Other names Bridge Spider
Lifespan Approximately 1.5 years
Distribution North America, mainly in the Great Lake states of the US as well as in central Europe
Habitat Instead of vegetation, these spiders tend to reside on steel objects and are often found close to bridges
Common Predators Scuttle flies like Phalacrotophora epeirae and wasps like Trypoxylon attenuatum
Diet Chironomids

Did You Know

  • Swedish entomologist Carl Alexander Clerck first described this species in 1757.

Image Source: live.staticflickr.com, bugguide.net