Spiders in New Jersey

New Jersey has over 40 spider species distributed throughout the northern and southern parts equally. The deadliest of the lot are the brown recluse and black widow.

Spiders in New Jersey Identification Chart

Common Spiders in New Jersey

Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus)Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)Common House (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)
Brown Recluse (Loxosceles reclusa)Wolf family (Lycosidae)

Largest Spiders in New Jersey

Members of the wolf family (Lycosidae)

Highly Venomous Spiders

Cobweb (Theridiidae)

Southern Black Widow Size Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans) - Did you know there's a spider called the southern black widow? It's mostly found in North America. It has family members like the western black widow and northern black widow, and they look a bit alike.… Continue Reading >

Northern Black Widow Spider Size Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus) - The Northern Black Widow is a cool spider found mainly on the 'East Coast' of North America. It's a close relative to the southern and western black widows.… Continue Reading >

Sicariidae

Brown Recluse Image Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa) - The brown recluse spider is a special spider found mostly in the central and southern parts of the U.S. It's part of a small group of spiders in North America known for having strong venom, along with the Chilean recluse and black widow.… Continue Reading >

Cheiracanthium

Yellow Sac Spider Size Black-Footed Yellow Sac (Cheiracanthium inclusum) - Meet the yellow sac spider! It's a spider that originally came from the Americas. Over time, it's been a part of different spider families, and now it's in the Eutichuridae family.… Continue Reading >

Less Venomous Spiders

Orb-weaver (Araneidae)

Spotted Orb Weaver Spider Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera) - The spotted orb weaver is a tiny spider that lives in places like Florida, Maine, Arizona, and Minnesota. Part of the orb weavers family, they usually roam at night.… Continue Reading >

European Garden Spider Cross Orb Weaver (Araneus diadematus) - Did you know the Cross Orb Weaver spider comes from Europe and North America? Their legs are super cool because they can spin special round webs.… Continue Reading >

Marble Orb-Weaver Marbled Orb-weaver (Araneus marmoreus) - The marbled orb-weaver is a spider with a special design on its body. It has patterns on its abdomen that look like marble, which is how it got its name.… Continue Reading >

Orchard Orbweaver Spider Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta) - The orchard spider is a special kind of spider called an orb-weaver. It has a long jaw and is found in places like the United States, southern Canada, and parts of Central America.… Continue Reading >

Furrow Spider Size Furrow (Larinioides cornutus) - Did you know there's a spider called the Furrow spider? It belongs to the orb-weaver family. You can find them in places like North Africa, Europe, parts of Asia, and even in North and South America!… Continue Reading >

Neoscona Domiciliorum Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver Spider (Neoscona domiciliorum) - Explore the red-femured spotted orb weaver spider, part of the orb weavers family. With a name like "domiciliorum," which means "of dwellings" in Latin, it's no surprise they often live around buildings.… Continue Reading >

Arrow-Shaped Micrathena Arrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata) - The Arrow-shaped micrathena spider has a unique arrow-shaped tummy, which is why it's named that way! This spider is part of the orb-weaver family and lives mainly in the eastern United States and Central America.… Continue Reading >

  • Hump-backed Orb-weaver (Eustala anastera)
  • Basilica Orb-weaver (Mecynogea lemniscata)
  • Cave Orb-weaver (Meta ovalis)

Nursery Web (Pisauridae)

Dark Fishing Dark Fishing (Dolomedes tenebrosus) - The Dark Fishing Spider is a special spider from the Pisauridae family. It looks a lot like the striped fishing spider. Here's something wild: after these spiders mate, the male often becomes a meal for the female!… Continue Reading >

Six Spotted Fishing Spider Six-spotted Fishing (Dolomedes triton) - Discover the Six-spotted Fishing Spider, often known as the dock spider. These large, semi-aquatic spiders are daytime hunters. They're experts at waiting near water edges, among bushes, ready to catch their next meal.… Continue Reading >

Jumping (Salticidae)

Bold Jumping Spider Picture Bold Jumping (Phidippus audax) - Bold jumping spiders are super cool members of the Salticidae spider family. They get attention for their amazing jumps and colorful looks. Instead of using webs to catch food, they like to sneak up on bugs and jump on them!… Continue Reading >

Zebra Spider Size Zebra (Salticus scenicus) - Discover the fascinating world of the Zebra Spider, a creature from the northern hemisphere with stripes like a zebra. These lively spiders don't spin webs to catch their dinner.… Continue Reading >

Canopy Jumping Spider Canopy Jumping (Phidippus otiosus) - The Canopy Jumping Spider belongs to the Salticidae family and lives in trees in southeastern North America. It's closely related to other spiders like the Phidippus regius, Phidippus pius, and Phidippus californicus.… Continue Reading >

Dimorphic Jumping Spider Female Dimorphic Jumping (Maevia inclemens) - The Dimorphic Jumping Spider is a bright creature from North America. "Dimorphic" means having two forms. What's special about these spiders?… Continue Reading >

Paraphidippus Aurantius Emerald Jumping Spider (Paraphidippus aurantius) - Discover the emerald jumping spider, also known as Paraphidippus aurantius. Found everywhere from the United States to Panama and even the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, these spiders stand out due to their size, being notably larger than many other jumping spiders.… Continue Reading >

Male Tan Jumping Spider Tan Jumping (Platycryptus undatus) - Tan jumping spiders are super interesting! They hop around and belong to the jumping spider family. You can find them in places like North and Central America.… Continue Reading >

  • Sylvana Jumping (Colonus sylvanus)

Cobweb (Theridiidae)

Triangulate Cobweb Spider Triangulate Cobweb (Steatoda triangulosa) - Meet the triangulate cobweb spider from the Steatoda genus! Found in places like North America, New Zealand, and Europe, this little spider has a neat triangular pattern on its back.… Continue Reading >

Common House Spider Size Common House (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) - Guess what? The American house spider is a popular spider many people meet! Even though its name says "American," it's also found in places like Pakistan and Myanmar.… Continue Reading >

Steatoda borealis Steatoda borealis - Guess what? There's a spider called Steatoda borealis, and it's part of the comb-footed spider family. Some people call it a 'false widow spider' because of how it looks. But it's not the same as the real widow spiders.… Continue Reading >

Wolf (Lycosidae)

Rabid Wolf Spider Size Rabid Wolf (Rabidosa rabida) - Do you know about the Rabid Wolf spider? It's a yellow spider living in certain areas of North America. Even though its name sounds scary, it doesn't have rabies.… Continue Reading >

  • Ground Wolf (Trochosa terricola)
  • Tiger Wolf (Tigrosa aspersa)
  • Tigrosa helluo
  • Trochosa terricola
  • Varacosa avara
  • Hogna baltimoriana

Crab (Thomisidae)

  • Xysticus auctificus
  • Xysticus ferox

Cellar (Pholcidae)

Ground (Gnaphosidae)

Eastern Parson Spider Parson (Herpyllus ecclesiasticus) - The eastern parson spider is a special kind of spider from the USA and Canada. It's part of the Gnaphosidae family. Instead of making webs to catch food, this spider likes to chase down its meals!… Continue Reading >

Anyphaenidae

  • Garden Ghost (Hibana gracilis)