Spiders in Nevada
The western black widow is the spider that matters medically in Nevada, and it lives statewide wherever a dry, sheltered void stays undisturbed. Southern Nevada also has the desert recluse and an introduced brown widow, both uncommon and both far less dangerous than their reputations. The true brown recluse does not occur here at all.
On this page
- What spiders live in Nevada?
- Which Nevada spiders are dangerous?
- What the older Nevada list gets wrong
- Where you meet them
- Spider season in Nevada
- Not a spider, and other Nevada mix-ups
- Common Spiders in Nevada
- Largest Spider in Nevada
- Highly Venomous Spiders in Nevada
- Less Venomous Spiders in Nevada
- Living with Nevada's spiders
- Frequently asked questions
What spiders live in Nevada?
Nevada is really two deserts stacked on top of each other. The north is Great Basin country: cold, high sagebrush steppe broken by dozens of north-south mountain ranges that carry pinyon, juniper and, on the Sierra edge, real conifer forest. The south is Mojave, hot and low, with creosote flats, Joshua tree woodland and rocky washes. Both are dry, so Nevada's spiders are specialists in shade, humidity and shelter, and most of them spend the day underground, under rock or inside a silk retreat. The state fauna runs to several hundred species; the ten profiled here are the ones people meet.
The cobweb spiders supply both the celebrities and the confusion: the western black widow, the introduced brown widow of the southern valleys, and the harmless false black widow that gets mistaken for both.
The hunters are more varied. Desert tarantulas such as the Arizona blond tarantula hold burrows in the southern deserts, wolf spiders including Hogna antelucana run the open ground at night, and the bold jumper stalks walls and fence rails in daylight. Irrigation and riparian strips bring in orb weavers like the banded garden spider, and the introduced hobo spider builds funnel sheets in the cooler north.
Which Nevada spiders are dangerous?
The western black widow is the one to know. A glossy black spider with a complete red or orange hourglass on the underside, she hangs upside down in a strong, untidy snare built low down in exactly the places Nevada offers in abundance: rock piles, rodent burrows, under desert shrubs, in meter boxes, block walls, patio furniture, sheds and the underside of outdoor equipment. The venom is neurotoxic, so a serious bite brings cramping pain that spreads from the site, sweating, nausea and a rigid abdomen over a few hours. It is very treatable and deaths in modern practice are essentially unheard of.
Southern Nevada has a recluse, but not the famous one. The desert recluse (Loxosceles deserta) is a native Mojave species that shelters under rocks, in packrat nests and in rodent burrows and only occasionally enters buildings. Its venom is cytotoxic and a bite can produce a slowly enlarging lesion, but the spider is genuinely reclusive and verified bites are rare. The brown widow, established around Las Vegas, is a widow by family but a mild one: it is timid, injects little venom, and bites usually stay local.
Bitten? Wash the site with soap and water, apply a cold pack, keep the limb still, and photograph the spider if you safely can. Seek medical care for cramping pain, sweating or vomiting, for a wound that keeps enlarging, and for any suspected widow bite in a child or an older adult. Never cut, suck, burn or apply a tourniquet.
What the older Nevada list gets wrong
The brown recluse does not live in Nevada. Loxosceles reclusa is a spider of the lower Midwest and mid-South. Nevada's native recluse is the desert recluse of the southern Mojave, and the two are routinely confused on identification charts.
The false black widow is not highly venomous. Steatoda grossa is a purplish-brown cobweb spider with no hourglass at all, and its bite is a minor local sting.
Wolf spiders and tarantulas are not dangerous either. Both were listed as highly venomous on the old page. A tarantula defends itself by flicking irritating abdominal hairs, and a wolf spider bite is comparable to a bee sting.
The hobo spider is not medically significant. After twenty years of blame for necrotic wounds, the evidence collapsed and the CDC removed it from its list of venomous spiders of concern in 2017. In Nevada it belongs to the cooler north, not the Mojave.
Where you meet them
Mojave desert and the southern valleys
Tarantula burrows sit on gravelly slopes and washes, desert recluses hide under flat rock and in packrat middens, and widows and brown widows colonise block walls, irrigation boxes and the rims of patio furniture, which is the single most common place Las Vegas residents find them.
Great Basin sagebrush and the ranges
Wolf spiders hunt bare ground between shrubs at night, their eyes flashing green in a headlamp. Hobo spiders build funnel sheets under stones, in woodpiles and against foundations in the north, and orb weavers concentrate along creeks, hay meadows and irrigated pasture.
In and around buildings
Cobweb spiders and cellar spiders hold quiet corners year-round, bold jumpers patrol sunlit walls, and the six-eyed woodlouse spider turns up under pots and boards in gardens. Our guide to house spiders covers the species that truly live indoors.
Spider season in Nevada
Desert spiders work around heat rather than cold. Activity picks up in spring, drops through the worst of the summer, when most species retreat underground and hunt at night, and peaks again in September and October. That autumn peak is the famous one: mature male tarantulas abandon their burrows and walk in daylight looking for females, and every other mature male does the same thing less conspicuously, which is why hunting spiders suddenly appear indoors. Winter slows everything, though widows and indoor cobweb spiders in warm buildings stay active all year.
Not a spider, and other Nevada mix-ups
The camel spider is Nevada's most reported non-spider. Solifuges are arachnids, but they are not spiders: they have no venom glands and no silk, and their speed and oversized jaws do all the damage to their reputation. They hunt insects at night and cannot poison anything. Harvestmen are not spiders either, having one fused body section and no venom.
Among the real spiders, the false black widow is accused daily and never shows an hourglass, while a brown widow wears a mottled tan-and-dark pattern, an orange hourglass and a distinctive spiky egg sac. The woodlouse spider gets called a recluse because it also has six eyes, but its glossy dark-red front body, pale abdomen and enormous forward-pointing fangs are unmistakable, and it eats pillbugs rather than biting people.
Common Spiders in Nevada
- Brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa)
- Desert Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes)
Largest Spider in Nevada
- Desert Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes)
Highly Venomous Spiders in Nevada
Cobweb (Theridiidae)
Cobweb SpidersWestern Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus)Identify the western black widow (Latrodectus hesperus): the red hourglass, the male and spiderling patterns, its web, range and how serious
Cobweb SpidersFalse Black Widow (Steatoda grossa)Identify the false black widow (Steatoda grossa): size, colour, its gumfoot cobweb, how it differs from a true widow, and how bad the bite r
Cobweb SpidersBrown Widow (Latrodectus geometricus)Identify the brown widow (Latrodectus geometricus) by its orange hourglass and spiky egg sac, and learn how its bite compares with a black wSicariidae
Wolf (Lycosidae)
Less Venomous Spiders in Nevada
Tarantula (Theraphosidae)
Orb-Weaver ( Araneidae)
Woodlouse Hunter (Dysderidae)
Jumping (Salticidae)
Funnel Weaver (Agelenidae)
Living with Nevada's spiders
In a desert state the whole problem is shade and clutter, so the precautions are simple:
- Wear gloves for rock piles, woodpiles, meter and irrigation boxes, block walls and stored equipment.
- Tip and shake patio furniture and children's toys before use, and check the rims of pots and planters.
- Shake out shoes, gloves and clothing left in a garage or shed in the southern counties.
- Vacuum webs and egg sacs rather than spraying, and cut outdoor lighting so fewer insects gather.
- Let a wandering male tarantula walk on past in autumn; it is harmless and it is only looking for a mate.
For the neighbouring desert fauna, see Arizona and California.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most dangerous spider in Nevada?
The western black widow, which lives across the state wherever a dry, sheltered space stays undisturbed. Its neurotoxic venom causes cramping pain spreading from the bite, sweating, nausea and a rigid abdomen over a few hours. It responds well to treatment, and deaths in modern medical practice are essentially unheard of.
Are there brown recluse spiders in Nevada?
No. Loxosceles reclusa is a spider of the lower Midwest and mid-South and has no established populations in Nevada. Southern Nevada does have a native relative, the desert recluse, which shelters under rocks and in packrat nests in the Mojave and very rarely bites anyone.
What is the largest spider in Nevada?
The desert tarantula, a heavy-bodied Aphonopelma that digs a silk-lined burrow in gravelly desert soil in the south of the state. Females may live well over twenty years. Despite the size, it is not medically significant, and it defends itself mainly by flicking irritating hairs from its abdomen.
Are desert tarantulas in Nevada dangerous?
Not to people. A tarantula bite is mechanically painful because the fangs are large, but the venom is mild and causes only local effects. The more common problem is the cloud of barbed abdominal hairs a threatened tarantula kicks off, which irritates skin and eyes. Leave the spider alone and neither happens.
Are camel spiders in Nevada venomous?
No. Camel spiders are solifuges, arachnids in their own order, and they have no venom glands and produce no silk. They are extremely fast and have proportionally huge jaws, which is where their reputation comes from, but they hunt insects and cannot poison a person or a pet.
Is the false black widow dangerous in Nevada?
No. Steatoda grossa is a purplish-brown cobweb spider with a rounded abdomen and no hourglass marking, and it is frequently killed in mistake for a widow. Its bite is a minor local sting. It is actually useful around buildings, because it readily preys on true widows sharing the same corners.
Do brown widow spiders live in Las Vegas?
Yes. The brown widow is an introduced species now established in southern Nevada, especially around buildings, block walls, patio furniture and planter rims. It is mottled tan and dark with an orange hourglass and a spiky egg sac. It is timid and injects little venom, so bites usually stay local.
Is the hobo spider in Nevada dangerous?
No. The hobo spider was blamed for necrotic wounds across the West for about twenty years, but the evidence did not hold up and the CDC removed it from its list of venomous spiders of concern in 2017. In Nevada it belongs to the cooler north rather than the Mojave.
Are wolf spiders in Nevada dangerous?
No. Wolf spiders such as Hogna antelucana build no snare, hunt on foot at night and bite only when pinned against skin, producing brief local pain. Females carry the egg sac on their spinnerets and then the spiderlings on their backs, which makes them look far bigger in a torch beam.
When are spiders most active in Nevada?
September and October, after the worst desert heat has passed. Mature males of many species wander in search of females then, and male tarantulas cross roads and trails in daylight, which is the state's most conspicuous spider event. Activity also rises briefly in spring, and falls sharply in midsummer and winter.
Published February 12, 2020 · Last updated September 14, 2026