Spiders in Kentucky

Kentucky has about 50 spider species of which the brown recluse and black widow are the deadliest. The common families seen here include the purse web, orb-weavers, cellar, jumping, and fishing.

Common spiders: Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax), Tiger Wolf (Tigrosa aspersa), White-banded Crab (Misumenoides formosipes), Dark Fishing (Dolomedes tenebrosus)

Largest spiders: Members of the Fishing (Dolomedes) and Wolf (Lycosidae) family

Highly Venomous Spiders

Cobweb (Theridiidae)

• Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)
• Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus)

Sicariidae

• Brown Recluse (Loxosceles reclusa)

Less Venomous Spiders

Orb-weaver (Araneidae)

• Star-bellied Orb-weaver (Acanthepeira stellate)
• Red-spotted Orb-weaver (Araneus cingulatus)
• Furrow Orb-weaver (Larinioides cornutus)
• Arabesque Orb-weaver (Neoscona arabesca)
• Arrowhead Orb-weaver (Verrucosa arenata)
• Yellow Garden (Argiope aurantia)
• Banded Garden (Argiope trifasciata)
• Arrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata)
• Araneus miniatus

Jumping (Salticidae)

• Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax)
• Canopy Jumping (Phidippus otiosus)
• Tan Jumping (Platycryptus undatus)
• Dimorphic Jumper (Maevia inclemens)
• Emerald Jumping Spider (Paraphidippus aurantius)
• Marpissa lineata
• Phidippus putnami

Nursery Web (Pisauridae)

• Dark Fishing (Dolomedes tenebrosus)
• Six-spotted Fishing (Dolomedes triton)
• Striped Fishing (Dolomedes scriptus)
• Dolomedes vittatus

Crab (Thomisidae)

• White-banded Crab (Misumenoides formosipes)

Wandering (Ctenidae)

• Southeastern Wandering (‎Anahita punctulata)

Cobweb (Theridiidae)

• Subsocial Tangle Web (Anelosimus studiosus)
• Twospotted Cobweb (Asagena americana)
• Triangulate Cobweb (Steatoda triangulosa)
• Common House (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)
• Rhomphaea fictilium
• Spintharus flavidus

Tube-dwelling (Segestriidae)

• Ariadna bicolor

Corinnidae

• Castianeira amoena
• Castianeira longipalpa
• Meriola decepta

Ground (Gnaphosidae)

• Cesonia bilineata
• Sergiolus capulatus

Philodromid Crab (Philodromidae)

• Thanatus formicinus

Wolf (Lycosidae)

• Tiger Wolf (Tigrosa aspersa)
• Tigrosa georgicola
• Tigrosa helluo