Spiders Found in Texas

Do you keep finding webs at several places in your home and are getting a little frustrated about it? Yes, you do have a spider problem! Spiders are arachnids and belong to the same family with ticks and scorpions though they only have two body segments. They don’t have antennae or wings, but they have eight legs.

In Texas, the most common spiders are: wolf spiders, American house spiders, black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, and jumping spiders. Each spider is different from the next either because of color or other characteristics.

i) Wolf Spiders: Wolf spiders are typically brown, gray or tan, large, with stocky bodies and spiny legs that are usually covered in hair. They have eight eyes that are placed in three rows: with two medium-sized eyes on the top row, two large eyes in the middle row, and four small eyes on the bottom row. These particular spiders do not construct webs. Instead, they hunt (like wolves), creating burrows in the ground where they lie in wait for prey.

ii) American House Spiders: This is the most common spider in Texas, with an elongated body. The American house spider’s color pattern and size can vary greatly but they are typically yellowish-brown with unique dark chevron markings. This particular spider builds webs in corners of rooms and then at the edge of their web waiting for prey to become trapped.

iii) Black Widow Spiders: This spider is very venomous and is known for the red “hourglass” figure on their backs. In color, the Black Widow spider is shiny black and may also have lighter red or white spots on the abdomen and back. Black widow spiders have a comb foot (a row of strong, curved bristles on their hind pair of legs) which they use to cover their prey in silk. They do not build nice looking webs, but have messy looking webs located near ground level. The good thing is that they hardly bite, unless out of fear.

iv) Brown Recluse Spiders: The brown recluse is venomous, brown in color, and easily identified by violin-shaped marking on the top of its body. This spider has three pairs of eyes arranged in a semi-circle. Like the Black Widow, the brown recluse spider builds irregular shaped, loose webs in potentially undisturbed areas. They only bite when they smell danger.

v) Jumping Spiders: Jumping spiders are black, tan, brown, or gray in color, with pale or white markings on their bodies and legs. With stout bodies, their front legs are thicker and a bit longer than their other legs and covered with brightly colored or iridescent dense hairs or scales. Like the wolf spider, jumping spiders do not spin webs but hunt for their prey.