Spiders in North Carolina

North Carolina has a large number of spiders belonging to the fishing, jumping, cobweb, and huntsman family. Out of all the species, the brown recluse, and black widow are considered the deadliest.

Common spiders: Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans), Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus), Yellow Garden (Argiope aurantia), Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax)

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)
• False Black Widow (Steatoda grossa)

Sicariidae

• Brown Recluse (Loxosceles reclusa)

Less Venomous Spiders

Orb-weaver (Araneidae)

• Giant Lichen Orb-weaver (Araneus bicentenarius)
• Marbled Orb-weaver (Araneus marmoreus)
• Six-spotted Orb-weaver (Araniella displicata)
• Yellow Garden (Argiope aurantia)
• Furrow Orb-weaver (Larinioides cornutus)
• Mabel Orchard Orb-weaver (Leucauge argyrobapta)
• Orchard Orb-weaver (Leucauge venusta)
• Spotted Orb-weaver (Neoscona domiciliorum)
• Hentz Orb-weaver (Neoscona crucifera)
• Arabesque Orb-weaver (Neoscona arabesca)
• Spined Micrathena (Micrathena gracilis­)
• Metazygia wittfeldae

Jumping (Salticidae)

• Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax)
• Canopy Jumping (Phidippus otiosus)
• Tan Jumping (Platycryptus undatus)
• Emerald Jumping (Paraphidippus aurantius)
• Phidippus princeps
• Metacyrba taeniola

Cellar (Pholcidae)

• Long-bodied Cellar (Pholcus phalangioides)

Nursery Web (Pisauridae)

• Dark Fishing (Dolomedes tenebrosus)
• Six-spotted Fishing (Dolomedes triton)
• White-banded Fishing (Dolomedes albineus)

Wolf (Lycosidae)

• Rabid Wolf (Rabidosa rabida)
• Tiger Wolf (Tigrosa aspersa)
• Tigrosa georgicola
• Tigrosa helluo
• Tigrosa annexa

Cobweb (Theridiidae)

• Triangulate Cobweb (Steatoda triangulosa)

Purseweb

• Atlantic Purseweb (Sphodros atlanticus)

Funnel Weaver (Agelenidae)

• Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica)

Huntsman (Sparassidae)

• Pantropical Huntsman (Heteropoda venatoria)