Green Nature

Neoscona: Spotted Orbweavers

Neoscona is a genus of small to medium sized orb weaver spiders that go by the name spotted orbweavers.

Six different Neoscona species are native to the United States, although only four species are widely distributed. Three of the four species are listed in the box on the right.

Spotted Orbweavers share many physical traits with spider species in the Araneus genus. Additionally the physical traits among similar neoscona species can vary widely. Therefore, neoscona identification can often be troublesome.

Often, but not always, the presence of red banded or strongly banded legs can serve as a good first identification pointer.

For their size, they build larger than average webs.

© 2005-2009 Patricia A. Michaels