There are over 30 different types of spiders in Kansas. The state is home to a diverse collection of these arachnids, from web-building species to species that don’t build webs.
Despite their commonness, spiders are among the most misunderstood creatures, not just in Kansas but in most parts of the United States. That’s why these critters often get demonized or categorized as creepy and dangerous, and many people fear them.
While there are a few highly venomous spiders in Kansas, most spiders in the state are completely harmless. Even highly venomous species don’t bite humans unless threatened and unable to escape.
If you’re worried about encountering the few highly venomous species in Kansas, don’t be. These spiders are easy to identify, and you’ll learn how to identify them in this guide.
You’ll also learn about other spiders in the state and interesting facts about each one. Keep reading to learn more about the different types of spiders in Kansas.
Table of Contents
1. Southern Black Widow
- Experience Level: Advanced
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Latrodectus mactans
- Other Names: Black Widow, Widow Spider, Hourglass Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.5 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The southern black widow is a shiny black spider with comb-like structures on its legs and a reddish-orange hourglass marking on its underbelly. The hourglass marking in this species is unbroken and is an important feature in its identification.
This arachnid is one of three species of black widows present in Kansas. It’s called a black widow because females consume their male partners shortly after mating. But even if females don’t eat them, males die on their own soon after mating.
Female southern black widows are noticeably larger than males and tend to live much longer. In addition, these spiders can inflict highly venomous bites that require medical attention. The venom of males and juveniles is weak compared to that of females.
If this spider bites you, you’ll likely experience intense pain in the bite area. Bites can trigger latrodectism, a condition that often presents with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, fever, sweating, and muscle stiffness.
Although rare, the venom of this spider can cause death in some people. That’s why it’s best to seek urgent medical care if this spider bites you. Hospitals have antivenom that can neutralize the neurotoxin the spider injects.
Despite how terrifying southern black widows sound, these arachnids seldom bite people. They run when threatened and will only bite if they can’t escape you quickly enough.
Most bites happen due to accidental skin contact, such as when people unknowingly wear shoes or clothing harboring these spiders.
2. Northern Black Widow
- Experience Level: Advanced
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Latrodectus variolus
- Other Names: Black Widow, Widow Spider, Hourglass Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.5 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The northern black widow is another black widow species in Kansas. Like its southern sibling, this critter has a shiny black body with comb-like legs and a reddish-orange hourglass pattern on the underside of its abdomen.
But unlike the southern black widow, this spider’s hourglass marking is broken in the middle. Instead of an entire hourglass shape, this pattern resembles two triangles facing each other.
You’ll find the northern black widow in many parts of Kansas, especially around woodland edges, human-made structures, and dark, secluded places indoors. The spider builds a cobweb made of a convex sheet with tangled silk above.
The cobweb this species builds is sticky, and it serves as a shelter for the spider and a trap for prey. Like other black widows, this species feeds on various arthropods, especially insects like beetles, gnats, and wasps.
It waits for these arthropods to wander into its sticky cobweb and get stuck before going over to immobilize them with venom and consume its catch. It often removes trapped insects from its cobweb to make room for other potential prey.
Although the northern black widow also rarely bites people, this species is just as venomous as its southern sibling. Its bites can trigger medically significant symptoms and may require urgent medical attention.
3. Western Black Widow
- Experience Level: Advanced
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Latrodectus hesperus
- Other Names: Black Widow, Widow Spider, Hourglass Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.5 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The western black widow is the third black widow species in Kansas. Its body is glossy black, and its bulbous abdomen has a reddish-orange hourglass marking on the underside.
This species looks more like the southern black widow than the northern species, so you might have difficulty telling both species apart. Like its southern sibling, its hourglass marking is usually entire. But it’s also possible to find western black widows with hourglass markings that are faded in the middle.
Male western black widows are easier to differentiate from southern black widows. That’s because male western black widows are often olive-brown with white, red, and black stripes. In contrast, their southern siblings are black with white and red markings.
In Kansas, you’ll find most western black widows in the western half of the state. These arachnids are common in prairies and under logs, rocks, and debris. You may also find these spiders indoors, where they build sticky cobwebs to catch prey.
Western black widows feed on various arthropods, especially insects. Although western black widows are themselves dangerous, these spiders can help control the populations of other harmful arthropod pests in your home.
These arachnids don’t bite people except as a last resort when threatened and unable to escape. Their bites can be excruciating and trigger adverse symptoms that require medical attention.
4. Brown Recluse
- Experience Level: Advanced
- Family: Sicariidae
- Scientific Name: Loxosceles reclusa
- Other Names: Brown Fiddler, Violin Spider, Fiddleback Spider
- Adult Size: 0.24 to 0.8 inch
- Lifespan: 2 to 4 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The brown recluse is a brown arachnid with a dark pattern on its carapace.
This pattern is wide in the first half of the carapace. But halfway down, the pattern narrows into a line that runs to the end of the carapace.
The pattern on this spider’s back resembles a violin. That’s why the species is also often called a violin or fiddle-back spider. While this pattern isn’t unique to this species, it’s the easiest way to identify it.
Like black widows, the brown recluse is a highly venomous spider. Its venom is cytotoxic and can cause cells and tissues in the bite area to die off, leaving an open wound gradually.
The severity of this wound depends on the amount of venom the spider injects, but small bites can sometimes result in large, slow-healing ulcers. That’s why it’s best to seek medical attention if you suspect this spider has just bitten you.
Fortunately, brown recluses won’t bite you unless you disturb them. These arachnids are more common outdoors, but they sometimes wander into people’s homes in search of prey. Unlike widows, ambush their victims instead of trapping them in webs.
Brown recluses feed on various types of prey, especially insects. That’s why pest controllers often recommend ridding your home of insects in order to reduce the number of recluses in your home.
As their name suggests, brown recluses are a shy and reclusive species. They avoid open spaces even when indoors and only wander out when necessary.
They don’t live in webs and prefer hiding in crevices and under unmoved items.
5. Black and Yellow Garden Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Argiope aurantia
- Other Names: Yellow Garden Spider, Steeler Spider, Black and Yellow Argiope, Zipper Spider, Golden Garden Spider, McKinley Spider, Corn Spider, Zigzag Spider
- Adult Size: 0.75 to 1.1 inches
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The black and yellow garden spider is a fascinating arachnid with a black and yellow body.
Its abdomen is mostly yellow with black spirals and a broad black stripe running down the center. In the center of this stripe are about two pairs of yellow spots.
Black and yellow garden spiders typically have silvery hair on their carapaces. Their legs are long and circled with black and yellow bands. While both sexes look the same, females are larger than males.
You’ll find this species in areas with plenty of vegetation, especially woodlands, forests, prairies, and gardens. You may also find it around your home, where it spins a large circular web anchored to nearby structures.
The web of this spider looks like a wheel or net with radial and spiral threads that spread out from the hub in the center. The spider typically sits upside-down on this hub, waiting for insects to mistakenly fly into the webs and get stuck.
Thanks to vibratory sensors on its legs, this arachnid can tell when prey hits its web. It then rushes to its victim’s location to immobilize it with venom. It may consume its catch immediately or preserve it for another time.
This spider doesn’t bite people unprovoked, and its venom is not medically significant. Most times, it runs when you scare it instead of defending itself.
6. Bold Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Phidippus audax
- Other Names: Daring Jumping Spider, Bold Jumper, Three-spotted Jumping Spider, White-spotted Jumper, White-spotted Jumping Spider
- Adult Size: 0.25 to 0.75 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The bold jumping spider is a hairy black arachnid with whitish hair on its joints and three reddish-orange spots on the lower half of its belly. In addition, this spider has metallic green fangs that help distinguish it from similar-looking species.
Like other jumping spiders, this species can leap several times its height. But the “bold” in this species’ name comes from its tendency to make daring jumps sometimes up to 50 times its height.
It makes these jumps by modifying the fluid pressure in its strong back legs and spinning a silk dragline. This dragline steadies it in the air and protects it from injury when jumps go wrong.
You’ll find bold jumping spiders in woodlands, forests, and residential areas. These restless arachnids don’t spin typical webs that trap prey. Instead, they spin small silk nests used only for shelter.
Bold jumping spiders prefer to chase down or ambush their victims. Fortunately, their agility and keen eyesight make this easy. They jump on their targets when nearby and immobilize them with venom before eating.
The venom bold jumping spiders inject, while potent against small arthropods, is harmless to humans. The spiders also rarely bite people unless provoked and are fun to keep as pets.
7. Banded Garden Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Argiope trifasciata
- Other Names: Orb-weaver Spider, Yellow Garden Spider
- Adult Size: 0.59 to 0.98 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The banded garden spider is a cousin of the black and yellow garden spider.
Both species belong to the same genus and often occupy similar types of habitats. Like its sibling, you’ll often find this species in prairies, fields, and gardens.
It spins a large orb-like web and sits upside-down in the center, waiting for prey to get stuck on the strands. When this happens, the spider detects it via vibratory signals and hurries over to paralyze its catch with venom. It then eats or stashes it away for later.
Like its sibling, the banded garden spider isn’t aggressive toward humans. The spider runs when threatened and won’t bite unless you prevent it from escaping. Thankfully, the venom it produces is also harmless to humans.
While the sight of this spider’s web in your garden or around your house can be upsetting, the spider doesn’t cause any harm. In fact, its diet makes it beneficial since it kills and eats many insects that act as pests and disease vectors around your home.
You can identify the banded garden spider by its banded abdomen. Its silver-white abdomen often has black and yellow bands running across it from side to side, but many variants also have brown and orange bands in the mix.
Like its sibling, this species’ legs have alternating light and dark bands. Its carapace is also covered in silvery hairs.
8. Triangulate Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Verrucosa arenata
- Other Names: Arrowhead Spider, Arrowhead Orb-weaver
- Adult Size: 0.15 to 0.55 inch
- Lifespan: Up to 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The triangulate orb-weaver is a brown arachnid with an abdomen shaped like a triangle or arrowhead, hence its name. It’s also called an arrowhead orb-weaver for the same reason.
The top of the abdomen usually has a yellow, pink, or white pattern that’s also triangular. In many variants, there’s a network of reddish vein-like lines running across this pattern. The legs are brown like the body and bear dark bands.
Like other orb-weavers in Kansas, the triangulate orb-weaver spins wheel-like webs to trap prey. It often spins this web among vegetation and waits in the hub for its web to catch flying insects.
This arachnid is extremely sensitive to vibrations, so it uses the vibrations of its web strands to know when insects hit its web. It follows these vibratory signals to its victims and immobilizes them with venom.
Triangulate orb-weavers aren’t aggressive spiders. These critters avoid human interactions and seldom bite unless provoked. But even then, their venom is too weak to trigger any serious symptoms.
9. Orchard Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Tetragnathidae
- Scientific Name: Leucauge venusta
- Other Names: Long-jawed Orb-weaver, Venusta Orchard Spider, Orchard Orb-weaver
- Adult Size: 0.14 to 0.3 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The orchard spider is a beautiful orb-weaver with many colors. Its legs and cephalothorax are greenish-brown, and its whitish abdomen has yellow and green patches with a black stripe that runs down the center and branches to the sides.
This species is a long-jawed orb-weaver. Like many members of its family, it has an elongated body and an abdomen that slants downward at the rear. In addition, this spider’s webs are horizontal instead of vertical.
Orchard spiders are called orchard spiders because they are common in orchards, but you’ll find these spiders in other vegetation-rich places. They spin their orb-like webs in gardens, forests, and prairies, waiting in the center for prey to come by.
When their webs catch prey, these critters hurry over to paralyze their victims before eating. They often wrap their catch in silk and drag the body toward the center of their web.
Like most spiders in Kansas, orchard spiders are harmless to humans. They rarely bite people, and the toxin they produce is not strong enough to cause any serious symptoms in humans.
10. Elongated Cellar Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pholcidae
- Scientific Name: Pholcus phalangioides
- Other Names: Daddy Longlegs, Long-bodied Cellar Spider, Cellar Spider, Daddy Longlegger, Carpenter Spider, House Spider, Granddaddy Longlegs, Vibrating Spider, Skull Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.4 inch
- Lifespan: 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The elongated cellar spider is a pale brown arachnid with brown spots on its abdomen and a prominent brown marking in the center of its carapace.
As its name suggests, its belly is elongated. But that’s not the only elongated part of this spider.
Like other members of its family, this arachnid has incredibly long legs sometimes up to six times its body length. That’s why the nickname for this species is daddy longlegs. Its legs are thin and fragile, and their length makes the spider appear much larger than it is.
Although the daddy longlegs nickname fits this spider, it came to bear this name by accident. Daddy longlegs originally only referred to harvestmen, an order of spider-like arachnids with long legs and only one body segment.
People who didn’t know this fact often called cellar spiders daddy longlegs, and so the name stuck with them.
You’ll typically find elongated cellar spiders indoors, hence their name. But these spiders live in various places indoors, from ceiling corners to window sills, and furniture bends.
Elongated cellar spiders spin tangled webs to catch prey and hang under the webs, waiting for insects or other arthropods to wander in and get stuck. When this happens, the spiders vibrate their webs to further entangle their victims before going in for the kill.
11. Truncated Cellar Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pholcidae
- Scientific Name: Crossopriza lyoni
- Other Names: Box-tailed Cellar Spider, Daddy Longlegs, Cellar Spider, Daddy Longlegger, Carpenter Spider, House Spider, Granddaddy Longlegs, Vibrating Spider, Skull Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.4 inch
- Lifespan: 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The truncated cellar spider is a cousin of the elongated cellar spider. Like its cousin, this species has incredibly long legs and six eyes. But unlike its cousin, the abdomen of this species isn’t elongated.
It’s called a truncated spider because its belly appears like someone abruptly chopped it off at the rear. The rear of the abdomen looks like a flat wall. From the sides, the belly resembles a box, and the sharp angles this truncation makes cause the top rear of the abdomen to resemble a tail.
This species’ body is brown with many small whitish spots on its belly. Its legs are pale brown and bear several dark black or dark brown bands.
You’ll find this species in various places, especially indoors. It spins large, tangled webs in cellars, garages, ceiling and wall corners, window sills, and hallways. Like its cousin, it has poor eyesight and relies on its webs to catch prey.
The truncated cellar spider hangs under its web and waits for prey to wander in. It uses the vibration sensors in its legs to know when its web has caught prey then vigorously shakes the web to further entangle its victim.
This arachnid can trap several insects in its web in the same period, immobilizing each with venom before consuming them. Though this venom is harmless to humans, there are plenty of stories that falsely claim its venom is one of the deadliest in the world.
12. Giant Fishing Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pisauridae
- Scientific Name: Dolomedes tenebrosus
- Other Names: Dark Fishing Spider, Raft Spider, Dock Spider, Wharf Spider
- Adult Size: 0.27 to 1 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The giant fishing spider is a brown arachnid with a hairy body.
People often mistake it for a wolf spider. But unlike wolf spiders, the second half of its abdomen has a series of dark brown chevrons or W-shaped markings.
This species is common around the banks of streams, rivers, ponds, and other bodies of water. It’s also often encountered in woodlands, where it hides under tree bark or on tree trunks and fallen logs.
Sometimes, the giant fishing spider wanders indoors. Giant fishing spiders are called fishing spiders because they are semi-aquatic.
These arachnids don’t use webs to catch prey, preferring to stalk and ambush their targets. Fortunately for the spiders, they can do this on both land and water.
When hunting in water, these critters listen for surface vibrations caused by potential prey moving under the water. They pinpoint their target’s location using these vibratory signals and dive in to attack.
After subduing their prey, these spiders drag them back to the bank to eat them. Aquatic insects and other arthropods make up the bulk of this species’ food, but sometimes giant spiders prey on non-arthropods like tadpoles and fish.
These spiders can stay underwater for long periods without resurfacing because their lungs are adapted to breathing underwater.
Although these spiders don’t spin webs to catch prey, they use silk to spin other types of webs. For example, females spin protective silk sacs to hold their eggs after laying them.
They also build nursery webs around the sacs for when their spiderlings emerge.
13. Texas Brown Tarantula
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theraphosidae
- Scientific Name: Aphonopelma hentzi
- Other Names: Ordinary tarantula, Missouri Tarantula, Oklahoma Brown Tarantula
- Adult Size: 1.5 to 2.3 inches
- Lifespan: 10 to 40 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The Texas brown tarantula is a large, hairy arachnid. Its legs and abdomen are dark brown, while its carapace is typically light brown and relatively less hairy than its other body parts.
Like many tarantulas, the Texas brown tarantula is most at home in desert-like habitats. That’s why you’ll usually find this species in dry, arid places in Kansas. It doesn’t spin web shelters like other spiders, preferring to live in silk-lined burrows in the ground.
This arachnid spends the day resting in its burrows and emerges at night to feed on insects and other arthropods. As a hunter, this spider doesn’t spin web traps for its victims. Its eyesight is poor, but it can detect when prey is nearby and attacks.
The Texas brown tarantula’s venom is potent against prey, but it doesn’t trigger any adverse symptoms in humans. Bites can be painful though. Fortunately, the spider is fairly docile and easy to handle despite its size.
This critter is only aggressive when threatened or mishandled. When defending itself, it may back you and shoot barbed hairs from its abdomen at you.
These barbed hairs can cause injury, especially if they pierce sensitive parts of your body like your eyes.
14. Marbled Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Araneus marmoreus
- Other Names: Pumpkin Spider
- Adult Size: 0.2 to 0.7 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The marbled orb-weaver is a beautiful spider with a massive, colorful abdomen. The legs and cephalothorax of this arachnid are orange or brown, and the abdomen may be yellow, brown, or orange.
It’s called a marbled orb-weaver because streaks of varying colors run across this spider’s back, forming a marble-like pattern. This pattern is often made up of yellow, green, brown, and black streaks, but the exact composition varies with the individual.
You’ll find the marbled orb-weaver in vegetation-rich areas, such as woodlands and prairies. Like other orb-weavers, this arachnid spins orb-like webs to trap prey and sits on it while waiting.
Unlike most orb-weavers in Kansas, this species doesn’t wait for prey in the hub. It hides in a retreat on the web’s edges, presumably to avoid predators. Adults build their retreats with silk and dried leaves, while juveniles often only use silk.
When in its retreat, this spider remains connected to its web’s hub using a single line of silk or “signal” thread. This thread vibrates when insects hit the web and get stuck, alerting the spider to go and immobilize its victims.
Marbled orb-weavers are docile arachnids that rarely, if ever, bite people. Even if they did, their venom is too mild to cause harm.
15. Common Cellar Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Parasteatoda tepidariorum
- Other Names: Common House Sider, American House Spider
- Adult Size: 0.15 to 0.24 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The common cellar spider isn’t a true cellar spider. It’s a cobweb spider more closely related to black widows than true cellar spiders.
But it’s common indoors, where it hides in many places, including cellars. That’s why some call it that.
Unlike black widows, to which this species is related, the venom it produces isn’t medically significant. Bites might hurt, but you’ll quickly recover without receiving any treatment.
The common cellar spider, or the common house spider as many call it, is an unaggressive spider that rarely bites people. If you can stand this arachnid’s cobwebs, it can be a useful asset indoors because of its diet.
This spider feeds on various types of insects and small arthropods, helping you reduce the number of insect pests you have in your home. It also kills and eats many species of highly venomous spiders that wander into your home.
Like its family members, this species catches all its victims by spinning sticky, tangled cobwebs. It hurries over to inject arthropods that stray into its web with venom before eating them.
You can identify the common cellar spider by its brown body and a bulbous abdomen. This abdomen is usually hairy and stippled in dark brown or black spots.
16. Triangulate Combfoot
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Steatoda triangulosa
- Other Names: Checkered Cobweb Spider, Triangulate Cobweb Spider, Triangulate Bug Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.25 inches
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The triangulate comb-footed spider is another cobweb spider and black widow relative.
But unlike its infamous relatives, this species’ venom is not medically significant. The spider also doesn’t bite people unless provoked and unable to run away.
Although this spider’s bite is not highly venomous, it can be painful. Allergic people might develop swelling and redness in the bite area, but these symptoms typically go away on their own.
It’s common to find this arachnid indoors, where it spins sticky, disorganized cobwebs to catch small insects and other arthropods. It detects when its cobweb has caught prey and quickly goes over to immobilize its catch with venom.
You can identify the triangulate comb-footed spider by the wavy dark brown lines running down its bulbous belly. The spaces between these wavy lines resemble triangles, hence the spider’s name.
Like many cobweb spiders, the legs of this species end in comb-like structures. That’s why it’s called a comb-footed spider.
It uses these comb-like structures to maintain its cobwebs every now and then.
17. Carolina Wolf Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Lycosidae
- Scientific Name: Hogna carolinensis
- Other Names: Giant Carolina Wolf Spider
- Adult Size: 0.70 to 1.5 inches
- Lifespan: Up to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The Carolina wolf spider has been South Carolina’s official state spider since the year 2000. This arachnid is one of the largest wolf spiders, not just in Kansas but in the whole country.
The Carolina wolf spider is a tan, gray, or brownish-gray spider with broad black or dark brown stripes running down each side of its carapace’s midline. Its belly is almond-shaped, and its jaws have orange hairs.
If you flip this spider over, you’ll notice the underside of its cephalothorax and belly are entirely black. The underside of its legs is also black with white bands in the first half.
You’ll encounter most Carolina wolf spiders outdoors in prairies, grasslands, and deserts. The spider is most partial to dry, desert-like places, where it lives in silk-lined burrows instead of proper webs.
While you might encounter this species during the day, it is primarily nocturnal. It steps out of its burrow at night to hunt small arthropod prey. Like other wolf spiders, this critter doesn’t trap its victims using webs.
Carolina wolf spiders have keen eyesight and agile bodies, so they often ambush or chase down their victims and subdue them with venom.
These arachnids rarely bite people unless provoked. If one bites you, you might experience pain and develop a mild skin reaction.
But the venom isn’t toxic enough to cause any medically significant symptoms.
18. Tan Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Platycryptus undatus
- Other Names: Bark Jumping Spider, Tan Jumper
- Adult Size: 0.33 to 0.51 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The tan jumping spider is a tan, gray, or black arachnid with a white or light gray pattern running down its abdomen and carapace. This pattern on the abdomen resembles a leaf or a series of chevrons.
Like its relatives, the tan jumping spider can jump several times its height. It does this by altering the fluid pressure in its legs before taking off. It also uses a silk dragline that’s attached to the surface it’s leaping from to steady itself and reduce the risk of injury.
You’ll find this arachnid outdoors, especially on or under tree bark. That’s why it’s also called a bark-jumping spider. But besides barks, this species also often rests on walls and vertical surfaces around houses or under stones.
This arachnid lives in a silk shelter, but this silk shelter isn’t designed for catching prey. Instead of relying on webs, the tan jumping spider hunts down its victims. It ambushes and leaps on its victims when within reach, immobilizing them with venom immediately.
But though the venom of this spider is devastating to its victims, it’s harmless to humans. The spiders also rarely bite people and are easy to handle. That’s why some people keep them as pets.
19. Woodlouse Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Dysderidae
- Scientific Name: Dysdera crocata
- Other Names: Woodlouse Hunter, Sowbug Hunter, Pillbug Hunter, Long-Fanged Ground Spider, Roly-Poly Hunter, Cell Spider, Slater Spider, Sowbug Killer, Orange Spider
- Adult Size: 0.35 to 0.59 inch
- Lifespan: 3 to 4 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The woodlouse spider is a reddish arachnid with a light brown or tan abdomen and long fangs.
That’s why it’s also called a long-fanged spider. Unlike most spiders in Kansas, this species has six eyes instead of the eight seen in other spiders.
People often mistake the woodlouse spider for the broad-faced sac spider because both species have similar body colors. However, the broad-faced sac spider has eight eyes, not six.
In addition, the broad-faced sac spider’s eyes are arranged in two rows. The eyes of the woodlouse spider have a distinct circular arrangement.
Woodlouse spiders are partial to damp locations, and you’ll find them under rocks, boards, and debris around houses or in forests and woodlands. These arachnids don’t build conventional webs for shelter and trapping prey.
These arachnids feed by stalking and ambushing their targets. Although they feed on various arthropods, they prey primarily on woodlice. That’s why these critters are called woodlouse spiders.
This species often takes shelter near woodlouse populations for easy access to food. When within reach, the woodlouse spider attacks. It grasps its target with its jaws then quickly pierces the underbelly with one of its long fangs to paralyze its victim.
Despite being long-fanged, the woodlouse spider rarely bites people unless provoked. But there’s no need to panic if one bites you. The spider’s venom doesn’t cause any significant symptoms.
20. Six-spotted Fishing Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pisauridae
- Scientific Name: Dolomedes triton
- Other Names: Dock Spider, Raft Spider
- Adult Size: 0.5 to 0.75 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The six-spotted fishing spider is a large brown spider with a white or yellowish stripe running around the edges of its carapace and abdomen. Its abdomen has three to five pairs of whitish spots, but these aren’t the spots that earned the species its name.
If you flip this spider over, you’ll notice six spots on its sternum (the underside of its carapace). It’s these six spots scientists use to differentiate six-spotted fishing spiders from other similar-looking arachnids.
You’ll find most six-spotted fishing spiders in ponds, streams, and rivers. These arachnids are semi-aquatic, often walking on the water surface or hanging on to nearby vegetation, floating rafts, and docks.
The six-spotted fishing spider often rests on the water’s surface, listening for vibrations and ripples caused by prey underneath. It uses these signals to locate its targets before attacking.
Like many spiders in Kansas, this arachnid feeds on insects and other small arthropods. But it also preys on vertebrates like tadpoles, salamander larvae, and small fish. It can stay submerged in water when hunting for as long as needed to subdue its targets.
This critter, like other hunting spiders, doesn’t spin silk traps to catch prey. However, females use silk to create protective sacs for their eggs. Females carry these egg sacs in their mouths until the eggs are near hatching.
Six-spotted fishing spiders might look intimidating or scary when you first sight them, but they aren’t dangerous. These critters rarely bite people unprovoked.
And even if one bites you, don’t worry. The bite might hurt, but the venom isn’t medically significant.
21. Common Nursery Web Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pisaurina
- Scientific Name: Pisaurina mira
- Other Names: American Nursery Web Spider
- Adult Size: 0.35 to 0.7 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The common nursery web spider belongs to the same family as fishing spiders, and people sometimes mistake it for a fishing spider. However, it’s easy to differentiate this species from fishing spiders when you closely examine it.
This species has two morphs. One morph is light brown with a dark brown stripe running down the center of the carapace and abdomen. This dark stripe has a light wavy line bordering it on either side.
The other morph has a gray or orange-brown body and legs. A slightly dark stripe runs down the middle of the carapace, and the abdomen bears two rows of tiny white dots.
You’ll find this spider in damp areas, especially outdoors among coastal vegetation. Sometimes, this arachnid wanders into people’s homes, where it hides in damp corners and basements.
If you find this spider in your home, there’s no need to panic. It doesn’t attack people unless threatened. While its bites might hurt, the venom it injects isn’t strong enough to harm humans.
Like other spiders in Kansas, the common nursery web spider reserves its venom for prey it can subdue. It doesn’t spin webs to trap its victims, preferring to ambush and inject them with venom.
While it’s true that common nursery web spiders don’t spin webs to catch prey, they use silk for other purposes. For example, females use silk to spin protective sacs for their eggs after laying them.
When the eggs are close to hatching, females also spin nursery webs for their young. That’s why they are called nursery web spiders.
The nurseries they build are made with silk attached to bent or folded leaves.
23. Puritan Pirate Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Mimetidae
- Scientific Name: Mimetus puritanus
- Other Names: Pirate Spider, Puritan Spider
- Adult Size: 0.125 to 0.3 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
You’ll find the puritan pirate spider in many parts of Kansas and other eastern US states. This species is typically tan or beige with a triangular abdomen bearing black and red or reddish-brown markings.
In addition to these markings, the abdomen bears two white patches near the rear. The legs of the spider are spiny, with the first two leg pairs bearing long spines interspersed by shorter spines.
This spider species is called a pirate spider because it doesn’t build its own webs and prefers to steal from other spiders. Instead of attacking regular insects or other arthropods, these spiders hunt down web-building spiders.
When it locates a web-building spider, this critter plucks the web to mimic the vibration caused by trapped prey. The host spider then rushes toward the vibration source, where the puritan pirate spider kills and eats it.
Sometimes, hunting goes awry for this arachnid. Instead of killing and eating the host spider, the host spider may kill and eat the pirate spider.
Puritan pirate spiders live in various types of habitats, but you’ll usually find them in fields, woodlands, gardens, and around houses. They love to stay near cobweb spiders and orb-weavers.
These spiders aren’t dangerous to humans. They rarely bite, and their venom is not medically significant.
24. Common Starbellied Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Acanthepeira stellata
- Other Names: Star-bellied Spider
- Adult Size: 0.19 to 0.59 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The common star-bellied orb-weaver is a brown arachnid with white streaks on its body and a massive abdomen.
This abdomen is covered in several pointed crowns, causing it to resemble a many-pointed star. That’s where the spider gets its name.
You’ll typically encounter this spider in areas with ample vegetation, such as gardens, forests, woodlands, and prairies. Like many orb-weavers in Kansas, this species builds a wheel-like orb web where it lives.
The common star-bellied orb-weaver’s web serves as both shelter and prey trap. The spider often sits on its web, waiting for insects to accidentally fly into the sticky strands and get stuck.
When insects get stuck on its web, this arachnid detects it via vibratory signals and hurries over to the vibration source. It injects its catch with venom to immobilize it before eating or stashing it away for the future.
The venom of this species is only potent against small insects and arthropods. It’s not strong enough to harm humans, and the spider rarely attempts to bite people.
25. Black-footed Yellow Sac Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Eutichuridae
- Scientific Name: Cheiracanthium inclusum
- Other Names: Long-legged Sac Spider, American Yellow Sac Spider, Agrarian Sac Spider
- Adult Size: 0.16 to 0.4 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The black-footed yellow sac spider is typically greenish-yellow or yellowish-green, but you may encounter variants that look more white or brown than yellow. Its face is dark, and its abdomen has no pattern save a short dark central stripe at the top.
Although it’s easy to mistake this species for its sibling, the northern yellow sac spider, you can distinguish it by the black tips of its legs. Unlike this species, the legs of northern yellow sac spiders don’t end in black tips.
You’ll find the black-footed yellow sac spider in various places indoors and outdoors. However, you’re more likely to encounter this spider outdoors compared to the northern yellow sac spider.
This spider is nocturnal, so it spends the day hiding in crevices or under rocks, boards, and logs. It lives in a sac-like shelter that it spins out of silk, which is why it’s called a sac spider.
The black-footed yellow sac spider is a hunter that doesn’t trap prey in webs. Instead, this critter stalks its victims before attacking and immobilizing them with venom. This venom, while potent against prey, is not medically significant in humans.
Reactions to this spider’s bite vary from person to person. While most people don’t experience any serious symptoms, allergic people might develop adverse reactions to the spider’s venom.
26. Bowl and Doily Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Linyphiidae
- Scientific Name: Frontinella pyramitela
- Other Names: Sheet-weaver
- Adult Size: 0.12 to 0.16 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The bowl and doily spider is a fascinating arachnid named after the structure of its nest. This nest is a two-part structure composed of a bowl-shaped web sitting on a flat sheet or doily-like web.
You’ll typically find this spider outdoors in forests and woodlands, where it builds its nest close to tree trunks. It anchors the bowl to branches at the top, while the doily is usually anchored to the trunks of nearby trees or other structures.
Although this spider’s nest isn’t sticky, the structure is effective at trapping prey. Flying insects often crash into the tangled silk mass above the bowl, causing them to fall into the bowl. The spider often waits at the base of the bowl to immobilize these insects.
Like many spiders in Kansas, the bowl and doily spider isn’t dangerous. It doesn’t bite people, and the toxin it injects into its victims is harmless to humans.
You can identify this spider by its shiny brown body and relatively large belly. This belly is brown, but white vertical markings run down the sides.
These markings are shaped like commas and turn yellowish as they curve under the spider.
27. Quasi-social Cobweb Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Anelosimus studiosus
- Other Names: Social Cobweb Spider, Cobweb Spider, Comb-footed Social Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.3 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 6 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
Most spiders in Kansas are solitary arachnids that live and hunt alone. However, a few species like the quasi-social cobweb spider live in social groups that sometimes include tens or hundreds of spiders.
The quasi-social cobweb spider is a brown arachnid with amber lines on either side of its carapace’s midline. Its legs have light and dark bands, while two wavy light lines run down the sides of its abdomen’s midline.
Like other cobweb spiders, this species builds cobwebs to trap insects and other arthropods. The difference is that this species’ cobwebs are larger and often house several different quasi-social cobweb spiders.
These social arachnids all cooperate in catching prey, maintaining the cobweb, and brood care. They don’t have the same strict hierarchical structure seen in social insects like bees, and all members of a quasi-social cobweb spider colony can reproduce.
Quasi-social cobweb spiders live outdoors and are common among branches and vegetation in forests, shrublands, and woodlands. These spiders rarely bite people, and their venom is harmless to humans.
28. Striped Wolf Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Lycosidae
- Scientific Name: Rabidosa rabida
- Other Names: Rabid Wolf Spider
- Adult Size: 0.5 to 0.8 inch
- Lifespan: 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
Also called a rabid wolf spider, this species is a fascinating arachnid that moves in an erratic manner as though slightly crazed. It’s called a rabid spider because of this behavior.
This arachnid’s body is light brown with dark brown or black stripes on either side of the carapace’s midline. The abdomen is also brown with a dark brown or black stripe running down the center.
If you examine this spider closely, you’ll notice two eyebrow-like markings on its carapace, just behind its topmost pair of eyes.
Like other wolf spiders in Kansas, the striped wolf spider has excellent eyesight. It’s a hunter that doesn’t use webs to catch its victims. Instead, it stalks its targets before pouncing and subduing them with venom.
This venom often paralyzes the spider’s victims, but it doesn’t trigger any significant symptoms in humans. Still, bites can be painful. The good news is that this species doesn’t bite people unprovoked.
Despite not spinning webs to catch prey, female striped wolf spiders use silk to create egg sacs. They carry these egg sacs with them everywhere until the eggs hatch, after which they carry their young on their back until the spiderlings become independent.
29. Castleback Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Micrathena gracilis
- Other Names: Spined Orb-weaver, Spined Micrathena
- Adult Size: 0.2 to 0.4 inches
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The castleback orb-weaver is an unusual spider with spike-like protrusions on its abdomen. But unlike the star-bellied spider, these protrusions are limited to the top edges of the abdomen.
This arachnid’s legs and cephalothorax are either black or dark brown, while the abdomen is white with black markings. Unlike the rest of the abdomen, the pointed projections on its back are usually black or dark brown.
You may encounter castleback orb-weavers that are entirely black or dark brown. However, most variants you’ll encounter without white patches are males. Compared to females, their bodies are smaller and their abdomens have fewer spine-like protrusions.
You’ll find most castleback orb-weavers in vegetation-rich areas, where they spin wheel-like orb webs to catch insects and other small arthropods. They sit on their webs, waiting for prey to get stuck to the strands.
These arachnids have vibration sensors that alert them when prey hits their webs. They then hurry over to the source of the vibration to immobilize their catch with venom before eating or stashing it away to devour it another time.
Like other orb-weaving spiders in Kansas, this species is not dangerous. Its venom is not medically significant and it doesn’t bite people unprovoked.
30. Eastern Parson Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Gnaphosidae
- Scientific Name: Herpyllus ecclesiasticus
- Other Names: Stealthy Ground Spider, Ground Spider
- Adult Size: 0.3 to 0.8 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The eastern parson spider is a hairy black or gray arachnid with a white or light gray pattern running down the center of its back. This whitish pattern resembles a cravat, the neckband Catholica clergymen used to wear as far back as the 18th century.
The species’ name derives from this resemblance, and that’s because “parson” is another name for clergymen. The “ecclesiasticus” in its scientific name is also likely due to this connection.
You’ll find the eastern parson spider indoors and outdoors. When indoors, this ground spider hides in crevices or under unmoved objects. The species is only active at night, so you it could be in your home for a long time before you detect it.
Fortunately, the eastern parson spider doesn’t bite people unprovoked. But if you threaten this arachnid, it won’t hesitate to defend itself by biting you. This bite sometimes causes intense pain, but the venom it injects isn’t medically significant.
Eastern parson spiders typically reserve their venom for prey. As hunters, these critters don’t spin webs to trap their targets.
Instead, they stalk their victims and gauge their reactions before launching a proper attack.
Frequently Asked Questions
You probably still have questions about spiders in Kansas. Read on to get answers to your most pressing questions.
What do spiders in Kansas eat?
Spiders in Kansas and other parts of the world eat arthropods.
These arachnids feed primarily on insects because insects are more common than other types of arthropods. Many spiders eat other spiders, including their species members.
Although spiders mainly consume arthropods, many will eat non-arthropods whose venom is strong enough to subdue. Fishing spiders are prime examples of such spiders.
In addition to arthropods, these spiders often eat tiny fish, slugs, and tadpoles.
How do spiders eat?
Spiders vomit digestive enzymes on their victims’ bodies.
Some species, like crab spiders, inject these enzymes into their victims’ bodies. These enzymes liquefy or break down their victims’ body tissues, making it easy for the spiders to suck and chew the digested parts with their chelicerae (jaws).
Do spiders in Kansas have good eyesight?
Yes, some spiders in Kansas have good eyesight. But many species have terrible eyesight and have to rely almost entirely on vibratory signals to make sense of the world around them.
As a general rule, species that rely on webs to catch prey often have poor eyesight. Hunting spiders have relatively good eyesight, but there are many exceptions.
Fortunately, all spiders rely on other senses besides their eyes for navigation.
Where can I find spiders in Kansas?
You’ll find spiders almost anywhere in Kansas.
If you’re not looking for a specific type of spider, then your home is the first place to look. Chances are you’ll find a few of these critters in your basement, behind furniture you haven’t moved in a while, or on your window sills.
You may also find spiders outdoors under your porches, flowerpots, stones, and vases. These arachnids are also common in gardens and vegetation-rich places, while some favor arid, desert-like habitats.
Are there any poisonous spiders in Kansas?
Yes, there are venomous spiders in Kansas. The truth is that virtually all spiders in Kansas are venomous.
However, only a handful of these spiders pose any threats to humans. The rest have venom too weak to harm people.
In Kansas, black widows and brown recluses are the only highly venomous spiders. Their bites often cause severe symptoms that may require urgent medical attention to control.
Can a spider bite kill you?
Yes, a spider bite can kill you. However, it’s rare for a spider bite to kill you. That’s because most spiders just don’t produce venom potent enough to kill people.
Black widows are the only spiders in Kansas that produce venom toxic enough to kill humans. But even then, deaths from black widow bites are extremely rare. One reason is that black widows don’t bite people unless provoked.
The other reason is that while the venom black widows produce is strong enough to kill people, the spiders scarcely inject people with a dosage high enough to cause death. That’s why the people most at risk of dying from black widow bites are children, elderly people, and adults with compromised immune systems.
What is the deadliest spider in Kansas?
Black widows and brown recluses are the deadliest spiders in Kansas. These arachnids are the only spiders capable of inflicting medically significant bites in the state.
While black widows are considered more deadly because their venom sometimes leads to death, brown recluses leave behind more long-term damage. You won’t experience any lasting damage if you survive a black widow bite, but a brown recluse bite might leave you with deep scars and tissue damage long after the bite wound has healed.
Are there brown recluses in Kansas?
Yes, there are brown recluses in Kansas. These critters are among the most publicized and most feared spiders in the state, but they often avoid human interactions and only bite when threatened.
Are there jumping spiders in Kansas?
Yes, there are jumping spiders in Kansas. According to some sources, up to 70 different jumping spider species call the state home.
Are there black widows in Kansas?
Yes, there are black widows in Kansas.
However, these arachnids are not common. There are three species in the state, namely: the southern black widow, the northern black widow, and the western black widow.
Are there tarantulas in Kansas?
Yes, there are tarantulas in Kansas. These arachnids are desert spiders, so you’re more likely to encounter them in arid areas in the state.
Is it legal to own a pet spider in Kansas?
Yes. The state doesn’t have any regulations prohibiting you from keeping spiders as pets.
However, it’s still good to confirm the legalities yourself, especially if you plan to keep non-native or highly venomous spider species as pets.
How many species of spiders are there in Kansas?
There are about 500 species of spiders in Kansas, give or take. These arachnids are pretty diverse, both in their appearance and behavior.
The abundance and distribution of each species also vary widely. So while some are pretty common, others are rare.
What are the most common spiders in Kansas?
Jumping spiders are among the most common hunting spiders in Kansas, while orb-weavers are among the most common web-building spiders in the state.
Wrapping up
Although Kansas is home to many spider species, only about four are venomous enough to be of medical concern. Fortunately, these highly venomous spiders are scarce and rarely bite people.
Contrary to most people’s opinions of them, spiders are actually beneficial creatures. They consume large numbers of insects and other arthropods that often damage crops or act as indoor pests. That’s why some people use them as biological controls.
Yes, finding spiders in your home can be unsettling, especially if you don’t know whether the species before you is harmful or not. But instead of squashing these arachnids in panic, you could try identifying them first.
It’s often easy to tell if the species in your home are dangerous or not based on their appearance. Hopefully, this guide can help you do that. But if you’re still unsure, you might need professional help.