The country of India is home to a wide variety of spiders, though several of them are yet to be discovered or classified. Their behavior varies greatly, with some, like the tarantulas using their venom to paralyze and capture their prey. In contrast, others, like the crab spiders, camouflage themselves. Most avoid human contact, with only spiders like the brown widow spider, considered deadly.
Common Spiders: Tailed Cellar Spider, Giant Golden Orb-weaver Spider
Biggest Spider: Indian Ornamental Tree Spider
Dangerous Spiders: Brown Widow Spider, Indian Ornamental Tree Spider, Peacock Tarantula
Most Venomous
Comb-footed Spiders
- Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus)
- Red House Spider (Nesticodes rufipes)
Sicariidae
Tarantulas
- Peacock Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica)
- Indian Ornamental Tree Spider (Poecilotheria regalis)
- Burmese Mustard Tarantula (Chilobrachys andersoni)
- Indian Violet Spider (Chilobrachys fimbriatus)
- Salem Ornamental Spider (Poecilotheria formosa)
- Rameshwaram Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica)
- Bengal Ornamental Spider (Poecilotheria miranda)
- Reddish Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria rufilata)
- Mysore Ornamental Tarantula (Poecilotheria striata)
- Wessel’s Tiger Ornamental Spider (Poecilotheria tigrinawesseli)
Less Venomous
Orb-weaver Spiders
- Kidney Garden Spider (Araneus mitificus)
- Oval St. Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope aemula)
- Tent Spider (Cyrtophora moluccensis)
- Oriental Spiny Orb-weaver Spider (Gasteracantha geminata)
- Hasselt’s Spiny Spider (Macracantha hasselti)
- Black-and-white Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha kuhli)
- Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia multipuncta)
- Long-horned Orb-weaver Spider (Macracantha arcuata)
- Brown Sailor Spider (Neoscona nautica)
- Giant Golden Orb-weaver Spider (Nephila pilipes)
- Abandoned-web Orb-weaver Spider (Parawixia dehaani)
- Black Tail Spider (Arachnura melanura)
- Grass Cross Spider (Argiope catenulata)
- Garden Tent-web Spider (Cyrtophora cicatrosa)
- Tropical Tent-web Spider (Cyrtophora citricola)
- Jorō spider (Trichonephila clavata)
Cellar Spiders
- Tailed Cellar Spider (Crossopriza lyoni)
- Giant Daddy-long-legs Spider (Artema atlanta)
- Long-bodied Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides)
- Pale Daddy-long-legs Spider (Smeringopus pallidus)
Jumping Spiders
- Adanson’s House Jumping Spider (Hasarius adansoni)
- Heavy-bodied Jumping Spider (Hyllus semicupreus)
- Gray Wall Jumping Spider (Menemerus bivittatus)
- Banded Phintella Spider (Phintella vittata)
- Pantropical Jumping Spider (Plexippus paykulli)
- Jade Jumping Spider (Siler semiglaucus)
- Two-striped Jumping Spider (Telamonia dimidiata)
- Fighting Spider (Thiania bhamoensis)
- White-bearded Jumping Spider (Menemerus brachygnathus)
- Red Weaver-ant Mimicking Jumping Spider (Myrmaplata plataleoides)
- Small Zebra Jumping Spider (Plexippus petersi)
- Wasp-mimic Jumping Spider (Rhene flavicomans)
Huntsman Spiders
Long-jawed Spiders
- Decorative Silver Orb Spider (Leucauge decorata)
- Pear-shaped Leucauge Spider (Opadometa fastigata)
- Black-striped Orchard Spider (Leucauge celebesiana)
Lynx Spiders
- White Lynx Spider (Oxyopes shweta)
Hackled Orb-weavers
Velvet Spiders
- Indian Cooperative Spider (Stegodyphus sarasinorum)
Ground Spiders
- Mouse Spider (Scotophaeus blackwalli)
Spitting Spiders
- Brown Spitting Spider (Scytodes fusca)
Comb-footed Spiders
- Split-faced Silver Spider (Argyrodes fissifrons)
Crab Spiders
- White Crab Spider (Thomisus spectabilis)
