This section of spider pictures covers the orb weavers. Due partly to their round, flat webs, they possibly rank as the world’s most easily identified spiders.
The approximately 165 North American Araneidae species divided into thirty genera, does little to help solve practical spider identifying problems.
Fortunately, causal spider observers looking to identify an orb weaving spider found in the garden can save a good deal of time by focusing their identification efforts on one of three genera:
- Araneus
- Spotted Orbweavers
- Writing Spiders
Despite their large size, Araneus generally do not display aggressive behavior around humans. In instances of bites, no Araneus species are listed as spiders of medical concern.
Orb Weavers: Argiope
Almost everyone in the United States knows that there is a black and yellow spider in the yard or garden. That’s without known the black and yellow spider is a member of the Argiope genus of spiders that are also commonly called writing spiders.
The black and yellow spider is often formally called the black and yellow argiope, or black and yellow garden spiders.
Writing spider web construction practices make them an easy group to identify. The orb webs include the addition of stabilimentum, or a series of Zs or Xs down the web’s center. Females generally grow larger than males, with bodies averaging about an inch in length and the legs possibly adding an additional two inches to the total length.
Juvenile agriopes are known to go overboard in their stabilimentum activity, often producing very elaborate web designs. Agriope web patterns tone down as the spider ages. Often the “Z” or “X” pattern on adult webs is restricted to a couple of short lines in the web.
The Black-and-Yellow Argiope in the picture is common in thirty five states.
Banded Argiopes (Argiope trifasciata) are even more common. With the exception of a few Southeast states, they are found across the United States and Canada.
The Silver Argiope is a southern species with a presence primarily in Florida, Texas and California.
Orb Weavers: Araneus
The majority of spider pictures fits in the orb weavers in the genus Araneus rank as some of the most common spiders found around residential areas. Generally they are large spiders with colorful, patterned bodies, making for easy spider identification.
Almost three dozen species have been documented in the United States, so there’s always a couple different species in any particular place. Consider all of them beneficial residents of the yard because they do not jump out of their webs and attack the family or family pets. Additionally they work as natural pest control agents.
In southern states they can be found almost year round. As one moves north, the season shortens.
Finding all three dozen species might also be a challenge because some of them build their nests in tree canopies and hunt during the evening.
The first picture shows a Cross Orbweaver, your typical garden spider. They are European imports that made their way across the United States.
It’s hard to miss the Giant Lichen Orbweaver. Females grow to over an inch in length and the green body stands out.
For obvious reasons, it’s sometimes called a red-backed orbweaver. It can be found in the East from Canada to the Gulf Coast states.
Notice the bold cross like markings on the top of the abdomen.
There’s no common name for the Western Araneus Gemma. The body color can change so the white stripe down the abdomen is a good identification clue.
The identification problem arises in areas where the Cross Spider and Gemma overlap. Consider the picture. It does resemble the female Gemma. At the same time, one wonders whether or not the bold cross design on the top of the abdomen just started wearing away on the spider in the picture.
This is merely a demonstration to highlight the fact that pictures are not always the definitive identification tool.
Barn Spiders get credit for being the inspiration for the spider in Charlotte’s Web. The name of the spider in the story is Charlotte A. Cavatica, referring to the Latin name of the Barn Spider, Araneus cavaticus.
These spiders do not write in their webs. Writing spiders (genus Argiope) are given the common name because of the “V” patterns they create in webs.
Barn spiders inhabit a variety of buildings, including barns in the Eastern United States. They build very large webs.
Texas orb-weavers are a Southwestern species.
Shamrock Orbweavers come in a variety of colors, including the Shamrock green. The circles/spots on the abdomen are the best field identification clues.
As far as populations of orb weavers go, they can be considered common. There are populations on both coasts and along the northern border areas of the United States.
Lattice Orbweavers inhabit areas east of the Rocky Mountains. They can change body color.
Most experts suggest looking for a leaf they place in or near the web. That’s the space they move to upon catching prey.
Marbled Orb Weavers come in a variety of colors. Many have the classic orange or yellow body. They are fairly easy to identify and fairly easy to find east of the Rocky Mountains.
Araneus nordmanni are one of those common species along the West Coast, Northeast and the northern states between the coasts without a common name.
They are often found in forest settings.
Araneus pegnia is a small and common spider in the Southeast and Southwest. The unique pattern on the abdomen makes it one of the orb weavers that is fairly easy to identify.
More Spider Pictures
It is very easy to confuse the Spotted Orb Weavers (Neoscona) with the Araneus species. One or two physical differences such as a ridge down the center of the head physically differentiates them.
Six species spin their webs in North America, although only four species are widely distributed. Three of the four species are presented here.
Arabesque Orbweavers are probably the easiest to identify and most widespread of all the spotted orbweavers. The solid, dark slash marks down the center of the abdomen are good identification clues.
Ten of the orb weaver genera have only one species attached to them. One of them, Spiny-backed Orbweavers (Gasteracantha), is pictured.
They are especially common in the Southeast, along with a California population. The picture shows a species with a yellow body. Others have white bodies with red spikes and other variations.
Verrucosa arenata is another of the one species orb weavers. They are very small in size and found in most areas of the Eastern United States.
Orb weaving spiders in the Micrathena genus are fairly common in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains. Most of them are a black and white color. Here’s a Texas specimen that adds some more color to the mix.
Species in the Metazygia genus are less common, explaining their lack of a common name.
Species in The Tropical Orbweaver (Eriophora ravilla) takes so many different looks that a dozen spider pictures might not help with identification of any particular specimen. Some specimens have a heart shaped, all brown body.
This particular specimen has the yellow patch on the abdomen with dots around the patch. They are found in the subtropical areas of the Southeast. Look for them year round in Texas and Florida.
While most people associate orb weavers with round bodies, the Arrowshped Micrathena represents on of a handful of orb weavers with pointed bodies.
There are four species. Three of them are very common in the East. One species has a California and Arizona population.
The Six-spotted Orbweaver is fairly small and colorful, with the six black abdominal spots providing the best identification clue.
All three of the native Larinioides species have regional ranges, some of which overlap.
The Gray Cross Spider, pictured, is mostly a West Coast, Mid-Atlantic and New England species.
The Furrow Orbweaver body looks kind of shiny. The pattern on the body can change but the darker edges are a good Identification clue. It’s mostly an East Coast species.
Humpbacked Orbweavers rank among the smaller species in the Orb Weaver family. The body measures maybe one-third an inch in length. Identification can be tough because the body color and pattern can change.
They can be found in many areas east of the Rocky Mountains.
Stripes down the abdomen of the Difoliate Orbweaver make this an easy to identify orb weaving spider species. Finding one might be a bit more difficult than identifying one.
They are summer spiders, fairly common in the Central and Southern areas of the Midwest and East.Look for them around dusk and dawn because they build webs at night and rest during the day.
The Basilica Orbweaver might easily be confused with the more common Orchard Orbweaver were it not for the web. The common name Basilica comes from the fact that it builds a dome shaped web that hangs horizontally rather than the traditional flat vertical web of most Orb Weavers.
Their range extends from about New York in the north and moves south from Florida through Texas.