Spiders in New Jersey
New Jersey's only spiders of real medical importance are the two black widows, and both are uncommon and live outdoors in dry, sheltered places. The brown recluse is not established anywhere in the state. Everything else on this page — orb weavers, fishing spiders, jumping spiders, cobweb spiders — is harmless to people.
On this page
- What spiders live in New Jersey?
- Which New Jersey spiders are dangerous?
- There are no brown recluses in New Jersey
- Where you meet them
- Spider season in New Jersey
- Easy mix-ups in New Jersey
- Common Spiders in New Jersey
- Largest Spiders in New Jersey
- Highly Venomous Spiders in New Jersey
- Less Venomous Spiders in New Jersey
- Living with New Jersey's spiders
- Frequently asked questions
What spiders live in New Jersey?
New Jersey packs a remarkable range of habitat into a small area: salt marsh and barrier-island dune along the shore, the sandy pine and oak of the Pinelands across the south, a dense suburban corridor through the middle, and ridge-and-valley forest in the north-west. Several hundred spider species have been recorded inside those borders. The "just over forty" figure repeated by older lists counted only the large, photogenic ones; twenty-four of those are profiled below.
Web builders set the tone from July onward. Seven orb weavers appear on this page alone, from the pumpkin-orange marbled orb weaver in damp woodland to the furrow orb weaver rebuilding nightly on boardwalk rails and porch lights.
The hunters are just as common. The dark fishing spider is the state's heavyweight, working tree trunks and stream banks and regularly blundering into basements, while bold jumping spiders stalk deck boards in full sun and the flat, silver-marked eastern parson spider sprints across walls after dark. Indoors the regulars are few and dull: the common house spider in ceiling corners and the triangulate cobweb spider, which mostly eats other spiders. Our guide to house spiders covers the rest.
Which New Jersey spiders are dangerous?
One group matters medically here, and it is the widows. The northern black widow (Latrodectus variolus) is the state's usual species: glossy black, with an hourglass normally split into two separate red marks and a row of red spots along the top of the abdomen. It lives in dry, sunny, sheltered spots — stone walls, old foundations, rock piles, long-unused sheds — and is uncommon rather than absent. The southern black widow (L. mactans) reaches its northern limit around the mid-Atlantic and turns up mainly in the southern counties and on the coastal plain, wearing a solid, unbroken hourglass.
Widow venom is neurotoxic. The bite itself is often barely felt, then cramping muscle pain spreads from the site to the abdomen and back over one to three hours, with sweating, nausea and restlessness. It is treatable, antivenom is rarely needed, and deaths do not occur with modern care.
The yellow sac spider is the other species people worry about, and the worry is overstated. Older lists file it as highly venomous and claim its bite rots the skin. Reviews of verified Cheiracanthium bites describe stinging pain, redness and swelling that settle within a few days; necrosis is not a feature. Everything else here, orb weavers and wolf spiders included, is painful at worst.
Bitten? Wash with soap and water, apply a cold pack and keep the limb still. Photograph the spider if you can do it safely. Seek medical care for spreading cramping pain, sweating, vomiting or a wound that keeps enlarging, and for any suspected widow bite in a child or an older adult. Do not cut, suck or apply a tourniquet.
There are no brown recluses in New Jersey
The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) is not established in New Jersey, and older versions of this page were wrong to list it among the state's spiders. Its natural range covers the lower Midwest and the mid-South and stops hundreds of miles away; the few specimens ever recorded in New Jersey arrived inside furniture, freight or vehicles and never founded a population.
That matters because "recluse bite" is a label people accept without ever seeing a spider. In this state the same wound is far more often a bacterial skin infection, a tick-associated rash, an inflamed cyst or a reaction to another arthropod — and those are treated very differently. To check a brown spider yourself, look at the eyes and legs: a recluse has six eyes in three pairs, evenly coloured legs with no bands and no heavy spines. Every common brown spider in New Jersey fails at least one of those tests.
Where you meet them
House, basement and garage
Cobweb spiders own the ceiling corners, and Steatoda borealis — a dark false widow with a pale crescent at the front of the abdomen — is routinely killed on suspicion of being the real thing. Basements and crawl spaces belong to fishing spiders and funnel weavers: large, brown and harmless.
Garden, hedge and field edge
A late-summer web across the path is usually a spotted orb weaver or a cross orb weaver, while the small metallic orchard orbweaver hangs a horizontal sheet under shrubs and tan jumping spiders patrol fence posts and siding.
Pinelands, rivers and the shore
Fishing spiders wait at the edge of cedar swamps and slow streams with their front legs resting on the surface film, reading ripples the way a web spider reads silk.
Spider season in New Jersey
The spider year here is back-loaded. Egg sacs laid the previous autumn hatch in spring, and the spiderlings spend the summer growing through a series of moults, mostly out of sight. From late August into October they mature more or less together: orb webs appear overnight across doorways and garden paths, and adult males of every family stop hunting and wander in search of females — which is what brings them indoors. Nearly every "sudden spider problem" in the state falls inside those eight weeks and ends with the first hard frost. Most species then overwinter as eggs or part-grown juveniles under bark, boards and leaf litter, the pattern described in our guide to where spiders go in the winter.
Easy mix-ups in New Jersey
A big brown spider on a basement wall is a fishing spider or a funnel weaver, not a recluse — eight eyes, banded legs, obvious spines. A glossy dark spider with no red hourglass found indoors in winter is a Steatoda false widow. Harvestmen, the long-legged "daddy longlegs" that cluster under decks and on shaded siding in autumn, are not spiders at all: one fused body segment, no silk, no venom glands. Ticks, occasionally sent in as "baby spiders", are a far larger health concern in New Jersey than any spider on this page.
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 in New Jersey
Cobweb (Theridiidae)
Cobweb SpidersSouthern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)Identify the southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans): the red hourglass, its tangled web, where it lives, and what a bite really does to 
Cobweb SpidersNorthern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus)Identify the northern black widow (Latrodectus variolus): the split hourglass, red dorsal spots, where it lives, and what a bite really doesSicariidae
Cheiracanthium
Less Venomous Spiders in New Jersey
Orb-weaver (Araneidae)
Orb WeaversSpotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera)Identify the spotted orb weaver (Neoscona crucifera): rusty hairy body, ringed legs, size, the web it rebuilds nightly, range and whether it
Orb WeaversCross Orb Weaver (Araneus diadematus)Identify the cross orb weaver (Araneus diadematus) by the white cross on its abdomen: size, colour, web, egg sac, range and whether the bite
Orb WeaversMarbled Orb-weaver (Araneus marmoreus)Identify the marbled orb weaver (Araneus marmoreus): marbled abdomen, the orange pumpkin spider form, size, web and retreat, range, and whet
Long-Jawed SpidersOrchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta)Identify the orchard orbweaver (Leucauge venusta): size, silver and green colours, its horizontal orb web, where it lives and whether the bi
Orb WeaversFurrow (Larinioides cornutus)Identify the furrow spider (Larinioides cornutus): the foliate abdomen mark, its nightly orb web beside water, range, diet and whether the b
Orb WeaversRed-femured Spotted Orbweaver Spider (Neoscona domiciliorum)Identify the red-femured spotted orbweaver (Neoscona domiciliorum) by its red leg femora, cross-marked abdomen and huge nightly orb web. Ran
Orb WeaversArrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata)Identify the arrow-shaped micrathena (Micrathena sagittata): the yellow arrowhead abdomen, its two long rear spines, web, range, season and Nursery Web (Pisauridae)
Nursery Web SpidersDark Fishing (Dolomedes tenebrosus)Identify the dark fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus): size, chevron markings, where it lives in North America, and whether its bite is da
Nursery Web SpidersSix-spotted Fishing (Dolomedes triton)Identify the six-spotted fishing spider (Dolomedes triton): size, stripes, how it walks on water, its range, and whether its bite is dangeroJumping (Salticidae)
Jumping SpidersBold Jumping (Phidippus audax)Identify the bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax): size, the white triangle, green jaws, how it hunts without a web, and whether its bite i
Jumping SpidersZebra (Salticus scenicus)Identify the zebra spider (Salticus scenicus): the black and white bars, the male's oversized jaws, how it hunts without a web, and whether 
Jumping SpidersCanopy Jumping (Phidippus otiosus)Identify the canopy jumping spider (Phidippus otiosus): size, bark camouflage, iridescent fangs, where it lives in the Southeast, and whethe
Jumping SpidersDimorphic Jumping (Maevia inclemens)Identify the dimorphic jumping spider (Maevia inclemens): the two male forms, size, range, how it hunts without a web, and whether its bite 
Jumping SpidersEmerald Jumping Spider (Paraphidippus aurantius)Identify the emerald jumping spider (Paraphidippus aurantius): its iridescent green scales, real size, range from the USA to Panama, and whe
Jumping SpidersTan Jumping (Platycryptus undatus)Identify the tan jumping spider (Platycryptus undatus): flattened body, wavy abdominal pattern, size, where it lives and whether its bite isCobweb (Theridiidae)
Cobweb SpidersTriangulate Cobweb (Steatoda triangulosa)Identify the triangulate cobweb spider (Steatoda triangulosa): the purple zigzag pattern, yellow legs, its tangle web, and whether the bite 
Cobweb SpidersCommon House (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)Identify the common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum): size, mottled brown pattern, pear-shaped egg sacs, tangled web, and why its bi
Cobweb SpidersSteatoda borealisIdentify Steatoda borealis, the northern false widow: pale T-shaped mark, glossy brown body, tangle web under bark and in basements, range aWolf (Lycosidae)
Ground (Gnaphosidae)
Living with New Jersey's spiders
Little effort is needed, because little here can hurt you:
- Wear gloves for stone walls, woodpiles, stacked lumber and long-unused sheds — the one habitat where widows really are found.
- Shake out boots, gloves and garden clothing kept in a garage or shed.
- Fit door sweeps and repair window screens in August, before the wandering males arrive.
- Vacuum webs and egg sacs instead of spraying; take away the insects and the spiders leave on their own.
- Question any "brown recluse bite" that comes without a spider, and ask whether the wound is infected instead.
- Leave garden orb weavers alone — one web removes hundreds of mosquitoes and flies over a season.
The neighbouring states share nearly the whole list: compare New York and Pennsylvania.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most dangerous spider in New Jersey?
The black widow, and in most of the state that means the northern black widow. Its neurotoxic venom causes cramping pain that spreads from the bite to the abdomen and back, with sweating and nausea. It is treatable and not usually life-threatening, but a suspected widow bite in a child or older adult should be seen urgently.
Does New Jersey have brown recluse spiders?
No. Loxosceles reclusa has no established population in New Jersey; its range stops in the lower Midwest and mid-South. The handful of specimens ever recorded here arrived in freight or household goods and did not breed. Wounds diagnosed as recluse bites in the state are usually bacterial skin infections or other conditions.
How do I identify a black widow in New Jersey?
Look for a glossy, globe-bodied black female hanging upside down in a tangled web. The northern black widow usually shows an hourglass broken into two separate red marks plus a row of red spots on top of the abdomen; the southern species has a solid hourglass. Males are small, patterned and harmless.
Are wolf spiders in New Jersey venomous?
All spiders have venom, but wolf spiders have none of medical importance. A bite happens only when one is trapped against skin and produces brief pain, redness and swelling comparable to a bee sting. The rabid wolf spider and its relatives hunt insects on the ground and run from people rather than approaching them.
What is the largest spider in New Jersey?
The dark fishing spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus, whose leg span can reach about nine centimetres. It hunts on tree trunks, rocks and the edges of ponds and streams, and often turns up in damp basements in late summer. Despite its size it is shy, and its bite is no worse than a bee sting.
Is the yellow sac spider in New Jersey dangerous?
Not seriously. Yellow sac spiders bite more often than most spiders because they hunt at night and get trapped in bedding or clothing, but verified bites produce stinging pain, redness and swelling that fade in a few days. The old claim that they cause necrotic wounds is not supported by clinical reviews.
What spiders live inside New Jersey homes?
Mainly cobweb spiders. The common house spider builds tangled webs in ceiling corners and window frames, the triangulate cobweb spider hunts other spiders along baseboards, and Steatoda borealis turns up in basements. All are harmless, and all reduce the number of flies, mosquitoes and ants indoors.
Why do spiders come indoors in New Jersey in the fall?
Mostly because adult males are searching for mates, not because they are escaping the cold. From late August to October the spiders that hatched in spring reach maturity together, males abandon their webs and hunting grounds to wander, and some of that wandering ends inside houses, garages and basements.
Are there tarantulas in New Jersey?
No. No tarantula species is native to New Jersey or anywhere in the north-eastern United States; the nearest wild populations are in the south-west. Large, hairy spiders found here are fishing spiders or wolf spiders, both of which are frequently mistaken for tarantulas because of their size and bulk.
When are spiders most active in New Jersey?
From late August through October. Webs appear across paths and doorways almost overnight as the spring generation reaches adult size, males wander in search of females and end up indoors, and fishing spiders move away from water. Activity drops off quickly once the first hard frosts arrive.
Published February 22, 2020 · Last updated September 14, 2026