There are over 30 different types of spiders in Maine. These arachnids are highly diverse, but this guide will teach you all you need to know about the various species you might encounter in the state.
If you’re here, it’s likely because you’re a fan of spiders and are trying to learn more about these critters, or spiders give you the creeps and you want to know which ones to steer clear of in Maine.
If you’re the latter, there’s no need to worry. Maine isn’t home to any of the highly venomous spiders you might have heard about. On the contrary, most of the spiders you’ll encounter in the state are beneficial to you and the environment.
Spiders consume a high number of insects and other small arthropods, helping to maintain balance in the ecosystem. Many of the insects that spiders consume might otherwise act as plant pests in your garden or vectors of nasty diseases in your home.
Want to know more about these fascinating arthropods? Read on:
Table of Contents
1. Northern Cupboard Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Steatoda borealis
- Other Names: Cupboard Spider, Boreal Comb-foot Spider, False Widow, Dark Comb-footed Spider
- Adult Size: 0.25 to 0.4 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 6 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The northern cupboard spider is a cobweb spider that’s related to black widows.
Although it’s fairly easy to differentiate this species from true widows, many people still misidentify it as a widow. That’s why it’s also called a false black widow.
This arachnid has a brown or orange cephalothorax and legs with a large, slightly hairy belly. This belly is glossy and dark brown or black, with some variants bearing a faint T-shaped marking near the top of the abdomen.
In older species, the abdomen is sometimes rimmed with white markings where the original brown color has faded. Unlike true widows, this species has no hourglass marking on its belly.
Like all members of its family, this arachnid’s legs end in comb-like structures. That’s why it’s also called a comb-foot spider. It spins disorganized but sticky cobwebs for shelter and for trapping prey.
Northern cupboard spiders consume various types of arthropods, especially insects. They tend to build their webs in dark undisturbed spaces, corners, and among furniture indoors. But they are also common in gardens and bushes.
These spiders sit in their nest, waiting for insects to wander into it and get stuck. They quickly run to immobilize their victims with venom once this happens. Afterward, they remove their victims from the web and eat or save them for later.
Although northern cupboard spiders are related to black widows, these critters are relatively harmless. Their bites might hurt, but their venom doesn’t trigger medically significant symptoms.
2. Common House Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Parasteatoda tepidariorum
- Other Names: American House Spider
- Adult Size: 0.15 to 0.24 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The common house spider is another black widow relative. Although this species is called a common house spider because it’s widespread in many homes across the US, it’s relatively rare in Maine. It’s a non-native species with a few established populations.
You’ll find common house spider populations in many Maine counties. You can identify them by their hairy legs and brown bodies. The abdomen is bulbous and stippled with dark spots, while the carapace has dark brown markings on both sides of the midline.
Like their relatives, these arachnids spin sticky, tangled cobwebs for shelter and prey-trapping. They live indoors and outdoors, although they prefer building their webs in dark, unattended spaces indoors.
These spiders sometimes spin their webs close to each other, but they aren’t particularly social. They wait for prey to get stuck in the stickiness of their webs before hurrying over to immobilize their victims.
Common house spiders are harmless arachnids, despite their relationship with black widows. Their venom doesn’t trigger any serious symptoms, and the spiders don’t bite unless threatened and are left with no choice.
3. Furrow Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Larinioides cornutus
- Other Names: Furrow Orb Spider, Furrow Orb-weaver, Foliate Orb Spider, Foliate Orb-weaver
- Adult Size: 0.4 to 0.5 inch
- Lifespan: 1 Year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The furrow orb-weaver is a brown spider with spiny legs that have alternating reddish and light brown bands. Its carapace is hairy and reddish-brown, while its large abdomen is light brown or tan with a black or dark brown pattern running down the center.
When viewed in full, this critter’s abdominal pattern resembles a serrate leaf. That’s why it’s also called a foliate spider. But the species gets its main common name from the resemblance of the wavy edges of this leaf to the furrows made by plowing the earth.
Furrow orb-weavers are skilled at constructing wheel-like webs to trap insects and other arthropods. They often spend the day hiding in retreats near their webs to avoid predators, only climbing it at night to consume prey stuck on the strands.
These arachnids rely on vibratory signals from their web strands to know when prey is trapped. They follow these vibratory signals to their victims and immobilize them with venom before eating or wrapping them up.
The venom furrow orb-weavers produce is only effective against small insects and arthropods. It’s harmless to humans and most large pests, so the spider doesn’t attempt to bite people.
Instead, it withdraws and seeks shelter elsewhere when threatened.
4. 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 spider that’s common around rivers, streams, ponds, and other water sources. You may find it swimming in the water or around coastal vegetation and wooden structures like docks and rafts.
Like other members of its family, this spider is a semi-aquatic arthropod. It often walks on water or dives under to hunt prey or escape predators. It can stay underwater for long periods before surfacing because its lungs are adapted to breathing in water.
Six-spotted fishing spiders hunt in water by listening for surface vibrations and ripples made by potential prey. Once they pinpoint the source of the vibration, the spiders dive in to seize and immobilize their target with venom.
These spiders often feed on aquatic insects and other arthropods. However, sometimes they also catch and eat non-arthropod prey like tadpoles and small fish.
Six-spotted fishing spiders also hunt on land. As true hunters, these critters don’t spin webs to trap their targets. They pursue or ambush them before seizing and immobilizing them with venom.
The venom of these spiders, while potent to various types of small prey, is harmless to humans. Bites can be painful, but they don’t trigger any significant symptoms. Besides, these spiders aren’t aggressive, so they won’t bite unless you threaten them.
You can identify the six-spotted fishing spider by the six spots on its sternum (the underside of its cephalothorax). It also has two rows of whitish spots on its abdomen, but these are often more than six and aren’t always effective for identifying it.
The body of this arachnid is usually brown and mottled with dark markings. In addition, a white stripe often runs along the sides of this spider’s belly and cephalothorax.
5. European Garden Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Araneus diadematus
- Other Names: Cross Orb-weaver, Crowned Orb-weaver, European Garden Orb-weaver, Orangie, Cross Spider, Diadem Spider, House Spider, Pumpkin Spider
- Adult Size: 0.22 to 0.79 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The European garden spider comes in various colors from light brown to orange or tan or gray. Regardless of its color, the abdomen of most variants is massive and bears a dark pattern with wavy edges in the center.
This dark pattern is broad at the top but narrows into a “V” shape toward the end of the abdomen. In the center of this pattern, you’ll notice several whitish spots arranged like a cross. This cross pattern on the spider’s back is why it’s also called a cross orb-weaver.
You’ll find most European garden spiders in areas that are rich with vegetation, such as gardens, woodlands, and forests. These arachnids spin wheel-like orb webs to catch prey and sit in the center, waiting for insects to crash into the sticky strands.
When insects or other arthropods hit the web, these arachnids detect it using the vibration-sensitive hairs on their legs and rush toward their victims. They quickly immobilize their catch with venom before eating or wrapping them for later.
Sometimes, the source of the vibrations on this species’ web is a predator. In such cases, the spider first vigorously shakes its web to scare the predator. It abandons its web and runs away if this strategy is unsuccessful at deterring the intruder.
Like many orb-weavers in Maine, this arachnid is harmless to humans. Its venom is not medically significant, and the spider doesn’t bite people unless threatened and restrained from escaping.
Except you’re allergic, you probably won’t feel any pain.
6. 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 tiny brown spider with a shiny carapace and a large abdomen. This abdomen is brown, but it has several white vertical markings running down the sides.
The markings on this spider’s sides are shaped like commas, and they turn yellowish as they curve under the belly. Like many sheet-weaving spiders in Maine, the legs of this species are paler than the body.
You’ll find this arachnid in various habitats, especially places with woody vegetation like forests, woodlands, and shrublands. It spins a large, distinct nest that’s shaped like a bowl on a doily, which is where the spider’s name comes from.
The nest is composed of a large bowl-shaped web anchored to branches at the top by tangled silk webs and a flat sheet or doily-like web under. This doily is often anchored to the trunk of nearby trees.
Although this spider’s web is not sticky, it’s effective at catching prey. That’s because flying insects often mistakenly crash into the tangled silk anchoring the bowl-shaped web and fall into it. The spider then quickly immobilizes the stunned insects with venom.
The venom these spiders produce only works on small arthropods. Thankfully, it’s harmless to humans. The spiders also don’t bite people unless threatened and are left with no choice.
7. 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 dark gray or black arachnid with a whitish pattern running down its carapace and abdomen. This pattern resembles the necktie or cravat 18th-century Catholic clergymen wore.
Parson is another name for a clergyperson. That’s why this species is called a parson spider.
Eastern parson spiders are fast ground spiders that move in a haphazard or zigzag-like manner. Their zigzag movement, coupled with their speed, makes it easy for these arachnids to escape predators.
Besides helping them escape predators, being fast spiders also makes these arachnids effective hunters. They don’t spin conventional webs to catch prey like most spiders in Maine. Instead, these critters stalk or ambush their victims and inject them with venom.
The venom these spiders produce is not medically significant to humans, but their bites can be painful. Thankfully, eastern parson spiders don’t bite humans unprovoked. But if you threaten these critters, they won’t hesitate to bite.
You’ll find eastern parson spiders in various places indoors and outdoors. Outdoors, these arachnids often hide under rocks, flower pots, logs, and other debris. Indoors, they hide in crevices and other dark, secluded spaces.
These arachnids are nocturnal spiders, so you typically won’t encounter them during the day. That’s why these spiders can live in houses for a long time before their hosts discover them.
8. Dark Fishing Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pisauridae
- Scientific Name: Dolomedes tenebrosus
- Other Names: Raft Spider, Dock Spider, Wharf Spider
- Adult Size: 0.27 to 1 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The dark fishing spider is a hairy dark brown spider with mottled legs and a series of alternating light and dark W-shaped markings on its abdomen. Its legs are long, and the spider often stretches them out in every direction when resting.
Like many fishing spiders, you’ll find this species around streams, rivers, and other pools of water. This semi-aquatic spider also often stays among coastal vegetation but may wander into relatively drier areas or people’s homes.
Although its appearance and size can be unsettling for some people, this spider is not dangerous. It doesn’t bite people except as a last resort when threatened and unable to escape.
Even if one bites you, there’s no need to panic. Its bite will probably hurt, but the venom this spider produces is too weak to harm humans. The mild symptoms it triggers will quickly fade without treatment.
Dark fishing spiders reserve their venom for hunting small insects. Since they don’t spin webs to catch prey, these arachnids typically pursue and subdue their victims before eating.
When hunting in water, dark fishing spiders wander on the water’s surface looking for signs of prey in the water. They use ripples and vibratory signals on the water surface to locate prey before diving in to attack their targets.
They aren’t always right about what’s underwater. But when they are, these spiders can stay submerged for as long as they need to immobilize their targets with venom.
They often hunt small arthropods, but sometimes they catch small fish and other vertebrates.
9. Marbled Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Araneus marmoreus
- Other Names: Pumpkin Spider
- Adult Size: 0.2 to 0.7 inches
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The marbled orb-weaver is a beautiful spider. Its body is usually orange with light and dark bands on its spiny legs, but it’s common to find variants with different colors. This species is called a marbled spider because of the marble-like pattern on its abdomen.
Most variants have yellow and brown or orange abdomens, but the exact color composition varies widely. The marble-like pattern on this spider often includes streaks of yellow, black, green, orange, and brown.
Marbled orb-weavers are partial to moist areas with plenty of vegetation. That’s why they are common in woodlands, forests, tallgrass prairies, and other vegetation-rich areas near streams and rivers.
These arachnids build circular silk webs with radial and sticky spiral threads to catch small insects and other arthropods. Unlike most orb-weavers in Maine, these arachnids don’t sit in their web hub to wait for prey.
Marbled orb-weavers often hide in a retreat at the edge of their webs. Juveniles make these retreats out of only silk, while adults create their retreats out of silk and dried leaves.
The spiders remain connected to the hub of their webs using a single line of silk called a “signal thread.” This thread vibrates when the web catches prey, prompting the spiders to go and immobilize their catch.
Marbled orb-weavers are unaggressive arachnids that rarely, if ever, bite humans. Their venom is mild, so you won’t experience any serious symptoms even if a marbled orb-weaver bites you.
10. Long-bodied Cellar Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pholcidae
- Scientific Name: Pholcus phalangioides
- Other Names: 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 long-bodied cellar spider is a small arachnid with an extended abdomen and six eyes. This spider’s most prominent features are its incredibly long legs. These legs are stippled with tiny spots and their lengths often make the spider seem larger than it is.
Daddy longlegs is another name for this spider, and it’s fitting because of this critter’s long legs. However, this name was originally reserved for harvestmen, an order of spider-like arachnids with long legs and one body segment. You shouldn’t mix them up.
You’ll find the long-bodied cellar spider in various habitats, but this species is most common in cellars indoors. That’s why it’s called a cellar spider. Besides cellars, you may also encounter this arachnid in ceiling corners, windows, and furniture bends.
It spins haphazard webs to catch prey and hangs upside-down under the web, waiting for prey to wander in and get stuck. When this happens, the spider vibrates the web strands to further entangle its catch before going over to immobilize it with venom.
The venom this spider produces is only harmful to small arthropod prey. That’s why the spider often runs when predators or other threats it can’t subdue approach its web. Before running, it first tries to dissuade intruders by vibrating its web vigorously.
This vibration makes the web strands too blurry, so the spider’s exact location in the web becomes hard to pinpoint. It often only runs if this tactic doesn’t dissuade the intruder.
11. Bold Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Phidippus audax
- Other Names: Daring Jumping Spider, Bold Jumper, 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 black arachnid with a hairy body and whitish bands on its legs. Its abdomen has three orange or reddish-orange spots in the lower half, while its fangs are metallic green.
This species is a small spider with legs that are short relative to other spiders in Maine. Fortunately for it, these legs are stout and strong. Like many jumping spiders, this critter uses its strong back legs to launch itself into the air.
The “bold” in this spider’s common name comes from its ability to make impressive leaps. Although it’s small, it can make jumps many times its height. Some estimates say it can jump up to 50 times its body size.
Besides being agile, this spider is also fast and endowed with keen eyesight. It uses these qualities well when hunting prey. Since it doesn’t trap prey in webs, it scouts and ambushes them before immobilizing its victims with venom.
The toxin in the bold jumping spider’s bite is only lethal to small prey. Besides its venom being harmless to humans, this spider doesn’t bite people unless threatened. It’s a lively arachnid that’s fun to handle and play with. That’s why it’s a common pet spider.
You’ll find this species in various places, especially outdoors. It’s common on walls and fence posts in residential areas, but you’ll find more individuals in forests, woodlands, and bushes.
This spider doesn’t spin conventional silk webs, but it builds a small silk nest to rest in when inactive. Females also use silk to create silk sacs for their eggs, and they guard these eggs until spiderlings emerge.
12. Goldenrod Crab Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Thomisidae
- Scientific Name: Misumena vatia
- Other Names: Smooth Flower Crab Spider, Red-spotted Crab Spider, Flower Spider, Flower Crab Spider
- Adult Size: 0.12 to 0.75 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The goldenrod crab spider is a fascinating arachnid with a flattened body and wide abdomen. This abdomen is oval-shaped, and the rear end is broader than the part joining the cephalothorax.
In some variants, the abdomen of this spider has a rod-like marking on either side of the abdomen. The spider’s whole body is usually yellow, white to pale green, or somewhere in between.
Unlike other spiders in Maine, the goldenrod crab spider can change its color to match its surroundings. This color change is a slow process that takes anything from six days to three weeks, but it provides excellent camouflage for the spider.
You’ll typically find this species in forests and bushes, where it hides in flowerheads. It’s a hunting spider that doesn’t use webs to catch prey. Like crabs, it has large forearms that help it seize its victims when it attacks.
The goldenrod crab spider feeds primarily on insects that come to pollinate the flowerheads it inhabits. Its camouflage conceals it from potential prey, allowing it to pounce on its targets when its guards are down.
Unlike females, male goldenrod crab spiders aren’t capable of changing their colors. They are also more active than females, so you’ll often find them wandering on the ground in search of prey or mates.
Although these spiders don’t use webs to trap prey, females use silk to make egg sacs. They guard these sacs for as long as they can before spiderlings hatch from the eggs inside.
These stunning spiders rarely bite people unless provoked into doing so. Even if one bites you, there’s no need to panic. You might feel pain, but the toxin it injects is too weak to harm you.
13. Forest Wolf Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Lycosidae
- Scientific Name: Hogna frondicola
- Other Names: Wolf Spider
- Adult Size: 043 to 0.63 inch
- Lifespan: Up to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The forest wolf spider has a brown carapace with a gray stripe running down the center. This carapace also has a thin whitish line on either edge. Like the carapace, the tan abdomen also has a broad gray stripe running down the midline.
Most of this arachnid’s body is somewhere between tan and brown, and its legs are mottled and hairy. These legs look like sticks.
You’ll find the forest wolf spider in many parts of Maine. Like other wolf spiders, this species doesn’t spin conventional webs. You’ll typically find it roaming on the ground in forests. It hides in burrows or under rocks and other floor debris during the day.
This spider is a skilled nocturnal hunter with good eyesight and fast legs. Instead of spinning web traps, it often scouts and ambushes its victims. It pounces on them when close and injects them with its venom to paralyze them before eating.
The venom of this species is potent against its arthropod prey but ineffective against large prey and humans. Bites might hurt, but the venom doesn’t trigger any significant symptoms in humans. Thankfully, the spider doesn’t bite people unprovoked.
Although this species doesn’t spin typical silk webs, females spin protective silk sacs to hold their eggs after laying them. They carry these egg sacs with them everywhere until the eggs hatch into spiderlings.
Young forest wolf spiders often hitch a ride on their mother’s back for a while before striking out on their own. While on her back, the spiderlings feed on the yolk there and only leave when this food source dries up and they start eyeing each other as prey.
14. Woodlouse Hunter
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Dysderidae
- Scientific Name: Dysdera crocata
- Other Names: Woodlouse Spider, 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 hunter is an introduced species in Maine, and while it isn’t common, it has established small populations in some parts of the state.
You’ll typically find this spider outdoors. It doesn’t spin conventional webs, preferring to hide in crevices and under logs, rocks, flower pots, or other items.
You can identify this spider by its reddish body and tan or yellowish belly. The carapace is deep red, while the legs are often lighter in comparison. In addition, this spider has only six eyes instead of the eight common in other Maine spiders.
It’s easy to mistake this arachnid for the broad-faced sac spider, another arachnid with a reddish body and tan or yellow abdomen. One of the best ways to differentiate them is to examine their eyes.
Unlike the broad-faced sac spider, this species’ eyes have a circular arrangement. Broad-faced sac spiders have eight eyes arranged in widely spaced rows.
Woodlouse hunters, like many hunter spiders, don’t use webs to catch their victims. They stalk their targets and pounce on them when within reach. They then eat their victims immediately or save them to eat at a later date.
Although they eat various arthropods, woodlouse hunters are so named because of their tendency to prey on woodlice. These arachnids have long, sharp fangs that they use to pierce their victims’ exoskeletons when hunting.
Woodlouse hunters seem like spiders to be wary of because of their appearance and long fangs, but they are actually harmless. Yes, their bites hurt, but their venom isn’t medically significant. In addition, the spiders don’t bite people unless threatened.
15. Bronze Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Eris militaris
- Other Names: Bronze Lake Jumping Spider, Bronze Jumper, Bronze Lake Jumper
- Adult Size: 0.19 to 0.35 inches
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The bronze jumping spider’s color ranges from light to dark brown but most variants have a brown shade consistent with the color of bronze. There’s a light brown patch on both sides of its face, and a light brown stripe curves around the top and sides of its belly.
Like other jumping spiders, this species is capable of impressive jumps several times its height. It makes these jumps by modifying the fluid pressure in its legs before forcefully extending them.
Like other members of its family, this critter also spins a silk dragline to aid its jumps. It anchors this dragline to the surface from which it leaps and uses it to steady itself in the air. This dragline protects it from injury when a jump fails and prevents it from leaping more than planned.
Bronze jumpers are skilled hunters with excellent eyesight. When hunting, these arachnids don’t make use of webs. Instead, they pursue and ambush their targets. They leap on their victims and immobilize them with venom before eating.
The venom these spiders produce is too weak to harm humans, so you won’t experience any serious symptoms if one bites you. Besides, these spiders rarely bite people unprovoked. They make nice pets and are friendly.
You’ll typically find these critters outdoors, but they sometimes make their way indoors when searching for prey or trying to avoid cold weather conditions. Outdoors, you’ll find them in gardens, fields, parks, and forests with rich vegetation.
These arachnids don’t spin conventional webs but build strong silk nests to rest in when inactive. Sometimes they build these nests on leaves, but you may find their nests fixed to other substrates.
Female bronze jumping spiders also use silk to create egg sacs and nests for their young.
16. American Nursery Web Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Pisaurina
- Scientific Name: Pisaurina mira
- Other Names: Nursery Web Spider
- Adult Size: 0.35 to 0.7 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The American nursery web spider is a cousin of fishing spiders and people sometimes mix both spider types together. But if you know what to look for, differentiating both spiders isn’t as hard as it seems.
This species is usually brown with a broad dark brown stripe running down the middle of its back. This line runs from the start of its carapace to the end of its abdomen and is flanked on either side by a broken light brown or yellow line.
Like fishing spiders, American nursery web spiders are comfortable on land and in water. These arachnids feed on prey from either place and sometimes dive into streams to escape potential predators.
American nursery web spiders are true hunters that don’t spin webs to catch prey. They stalk their targets and get into position before leaping or diving toward them to inject venom.
The venom of these spiders, while potent against small prey, is harmless to humans. The spiders also rarely, if ever, bite humans, so there’s no need to panic if you encounter one.
Like fishing spiders, these spiders are most at home near rivers and streams or among moist, coastal vegetation. They sometimes wander far and enter into homes, but this is unusual.
These arachnids are called nursery web spiders because females tend to construct nursery-like webs for their spiderlings after hatching. They often do this using folded leaves held in place by silk.
17. European Sheetweb Weaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Linyphiidae
- Scientific Name: Linyphia triangularis
- Other Names: Common Sheet-web Weaver, Common Hammock-weaver
- Adult Size: 0.19 to 0.24 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The European Sheet-web Weaver belongs to the same family as the bowl and doily spider and is originally native to Europe. Interestingly, Maine is the only place you can find this species outside Europe.
This spider’s carapace is brown with black lines on the edges and one bifurcated line running down the middle. Its abdomen is a mix of white and brown. In some variants, most of the abdomen is white with brown stripes in the middle of the back and sides.
In other variants, the abdomen is mostly brown with white or yellowish stripes that blur into each other. Still yet, you may find some European sheet-web weavers with brown bellies stippled with whitish spots.
You’ll find most European sheet-web weavers in areas with plenty of vegetation. These arachnids spin horizontal, sheet-like webs to catch prey. Like the other members of its family, these species’ webs aren’t sticky. But they are effective at catching prey.
Like many sheet-web weavers, this species’ webs have silk tangles above their webs. These masses of tangled silk, also called barrage lines, knock down flying insects that crash into them. The insects fall onto the sheet, where the spider kills and eats them.
The venom of this spider is only effective against small prey. You won’t develop any significant symptoms if this spider bites you. Besides, it’s extremely rare for European sheet-web weavers to bite humans.
18. Barn Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Araneus cavaticus
- Other Names: Barn Spider
- Adult Size: 0.23 to 0.62 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
Barn orb-weavers are common in barns, but they live in various places.
You’ll find these arachnids around other parts of your house like your porches, fences, and handrails. In addition, this arachnid is common in forests and other places with green vegetation.
As is typical of orb-weavers, these critters spin large, circular silk webs to catch prey. These webs are usually vertical and have sticky radial threads that trap insects that run into them. When active, the spiders sit on these webs and wait for prey.
Barn orb-weavers have weak eyesight, so they rely on vibratory signals to detect prey on their webs. They then hurry over to their victims and immobilize them with venom. These spiders may eat their victims on the spot or wrap them in silk to feed on later.
Like most orb-weavers in Maine, the venom of this spider is not medically significant to humans. It’s also rare for these spiders to bite people. When threatened, their first instinct is to run and seek shelter elsewhere.
Barn orb-weavers are brown or grayish arachnids with hairy bodies. The abdomen and legs of these spiders are covered in spines, and the legs typically have alternating whitish and black or reddish-brown bands.
Like other orb-weavers, the abdomen of this species is massive. This oval-shaped mass is rounded at the top and narrower toward the rear. In addition, the abdomen has dark brown lines on either side of the middle that form a V-like shape near the rear.
This species is most famous for being the titular character in “Charlotte’s Web,” a children’s book by American writer E.B. White. The character’s full name in the book is Charlotte A. Cavatica, a play on the spider’s scientific name, Araneus cavaticus.
19. Common Candy-striped Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Theridiidae
- Scientific Name: Enoplognatha ovata
- Other Names: Candy-striped Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.25 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The common candy-striped spider is a cobweb spider found in many parts of Maine. This arachnid is common among vegetation, where it often spins tangled, sticky cobwebs to trap insects and other small arthropods.
Like other cobweb spiders, this critter relies on its cobweb for food. It spends most of its time waiting for insects and other small arthropods to wander into its cobweb and get stuck. This spider typically builds this cobweb on the insides of folded leaves.
When insects get caught in its cobweb, the common candy-striped spider rushes towards them to immobilize them with venom. It may consume them immediately or save them for later, but it often removes prey from its cobweb to make room for others.
This species belongs to the same family as black widows, and its bite can cause intense pain and redness around the bite area. But unlike black widows, the venom it injects is not medically significant. The spider also rarely bites people unless threatened.
You can identify the common candy-striped spider by its peculiar abdomen. Its body is pale green or cream, and its bulbous abdomen has two reddish stripes running down the center. Between these reddish stripes, is a cream or white region with black spots.
This species is called a candy-striped spider because of the similarity between the pattern on its abdomen and candy.
20. Shamrock Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Araneidae
- Scientific Name: Araneus trifolium
- Other Names: Shamrock Spider
- Adult Size: Up to 0.75 inches
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The shamrock orb-weaver is a brown or beige arachnid with spiny legs bearing black or brown and white bands. Its abdomen’s color is variable, ranging from orange to yellow, green, brown, or white. In nearly all variants, irregular white or cream spots cover the abdomen.
You’ll find shamrock orb-weavers in various habitats, especially areas with plenty of vegetation like forests, prairies, shrublands, and gardens. They are also common on wooden structures, such as boats.
Like other orb-weavers in Maine, the shamrock orb-weaver spins circular wheel-like webs to trap arthropod prey. It feeds primarily on flying insects and sits upside-down on the web, waiting for these insects to crash into its web strands and get stuck.
When an insect hits the web, the spider detects it and traces its location on the web using vibratory signals. The spider then injects its catch with venom to subdue it before eating. Sometimes, it wraps its prey up for a later date instead of eating it immediately.
The shamrock orb-weaver doesn’t pose any threat to humans, so there’s no need to panic when you see one around your home. It doesn’t bite people, and its venom is not medically significant to humans.
Instead of being harmful, this spider’s presence around your home often benefits you. Its consumption of many insects reduces the number of annoying pests you have to deal with indoors and outdoors in your gardens.
21. Tan Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Platycryptus undatus
- Other Names: Tan Jumper
- Adult Size: 0.33 to 0.51 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The tan jumping spider comes in various colors, but most variants are tan, black, or brown. The spider has a hairy body with a whitish or grayish pattern running down its carapace and belly. The pattern resembles a long leaf or series of chevrons.
Like the bold jumping spider, this species can also leap several times its height. It’s common to find this spider outdoors jumping about. It often perches on vertical surfaces like walls and tree barks in parks, fields, gardens, and forests.
This spider sometimes wanders indoors in search of food or due to harsh outdoor weather conditions. If you find it indoors, there’s no need to fear. The spider doesn’t bite people unless threatened and left with no choice. But even then, its venom is harmless.
Tan jumping spiders are lively arachnids that are often as curious about you as you are about them. They are easy pets to play with and may perch on your skin without any unpleasant incident.
These arachnids feed on various types of arthropods, especially small insects. As true hunters, these critters don’t trap their targets in webs. They rely on their agility and excellent eyesight when scouting prey and attacking.
Although tan jumping spiders don’t use webs to trap prey, they use silk for other purposes. For example, adults build silk shelters to rest in when inactive, while females use silk to create protective sacs around the eggs they lay.
Female tan jumping spiders guard their eggs fiercely until the eggs hatch into spiderlings.
22. Brilliant Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Phidippus clarus
- Other Names: Red and Black Jumping Spider, Brilliant Jumper
- Adult Size: 0.19 to 0.25 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The brilliant jumping spider is a hairy black spider with stout legs and a broad cephalothorax, its abdomen has a broad reddish-orange stripe on either side of the midline, and four pairs of white spots run down this abdomen.
These spots are on both sides of the midline, where the reddish-orange stripes meet the black stripe on either side. In addition, a white or cream marking curves around the top and sides of this abdomen.
While most female brilliant jumping spiders are black and reddish-orange like males, some variants are light gray or pale brown with dark bands on their legs. This coloration may be an adaptation to their environment that helps them escape predators like birds.
You’ll find this species in various habitats, especially among flowers in forests and other vegetation-rich places. It often shares the same habitats with the goldenrod crab spider and doesn’t spin conventional webs to trap prey.
This arachnid has excellent eyesight to help it scout prey before attacking. It can jump several times its height and often leaps on its targets when attacking, piercing them with its fangs to subdue them with venom before eating.
This species is not aggressive toward people, and its venom is not medically significant. Like other jumping spiders, this species is playful and is a fitting companion for people who love spider pets.
23. Bark Crab Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Thomisidae
- Scientific Name: Bassaniana versicolor
- Other Names: Multicolored Bark Crab Spider
- Adult Size: 0.15 to 0.27 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The bark crab spider is a black or dark brown spider with legs and an abdomen covered in light brown or white speckles.
Like crabs, it has a flattened body and large front legs. It can also move forward, backward, and sideways without turning the way crabs do.
This species is common in forests and other places with trees and vegetation. Its coloration provides it with excellent camouflage when resting on tree bark, hence its name. But this camouflage works just as well among leaf litter or debris on forest floors.
Like other crab spiders, the bark crab spider doesn’t build webs to trap prey. This arachnid is a deft hunter that prefers chasing down or ambushing its victims. When close to its target, the spider seizes it with its strong front legs and injects it with venom.
Bark crab spiders aren’t aggressive to humans and won’t bite unless you threaten them. Their bites can hurt quite a bit, but the venom they produce isn’t strong enough to cause any significant symptoms. You’ll be fine without treatment.
Although bark crab spiders don’t trap prey in webs, these critters use silk to spin egg sacs. Females guard their egg sacs for as long as possible until spiderlings hatch from the eggs.
24. Flower Crab Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Thomisidae
- Scientific Name: Misumenoides formosipes
- Other Names: White-banded Crab Spider, Yellow Crab Spider, Crab Spider, White Crab Spider, Ridge-faced Flower Spider, Red-banded spider
- Adult Size: 0.31 to 0.55 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The flower crab spider is a close relative of the goldenrod crab spider. Like its relative, this spider is capable of color change. It often switches between white and yellow, depending on the color of its surroundings.
Only females of this species are capable of color change, and they come in two forms: a spotted and an unspotted form. Spotted females sometimes have a reddish stripe on either side of their carapace.
In addition, there are two rows of reddish-brown markings running down the center of the abdomen of spotted females. These reddish-brown markings unite anteriorly to form a “V” shape. There’s also often a reddish-brown stripe on the margins of the abdomen.
Although unspotted female flower crab spiders typically lack these prominent reddish-brown markings, these regions are often darkened compared to the rest of the body.
Flower crab spiders are often called white-banded crab spiders because a white band passes between the eyes of this species. But this white band isn’t always present.
They are called crab spiders because they have flattened bodies and two front legs that are larger and longer than the others. The spiders often walk with these front legs held out and forward like crabs.
Flower crab spiders don’t trap prey in webs, preferring to ambush and seize them with their front legs before immobilizing them with venom and eating. Their ability to switch colors provides them with excellent camouflage when hunting.
You’ll find these spiders on flowers and plants in woodlands and fields, where they often wait for pollinating insects to ambush. Thankfully, they rarely bite people, and their venom is harmless.
25. Cave Orbweaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Tetragnathidae
- Scientific Name: Meta ovalis
- Other Names: Cave Orb Spider, Eastern Cave Long-jawed Spider
- Adult Size: 0.31 to 0.39 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The cave orb-weaver is an atypical long-jawed orb-weaver. Unlike most members of its family, this spider’s jaws aren’t prominent. Its body also doesn’t have the same length and narrowness characteristic of other long-jawed orb-weavers.
This arachnid is typically brown with a dark line that’s broad at the top running down the middle of the carapace. Its spiny legs have dark brown bands, while its abdomen is a mix of dark brown or black with brown or greenish chevrons in the center.
This species is called a cave orb-weaver because it is common in caves, but you may find it in other habitats. Adults usually spin their webs closer to the entrance of the caves while juveniles live a little deeper inside the caves.
Unlike most long-jawed orb-weavers, cave orb-weavers spin vertical webs. They anchor their webs to the roof of the cave and wait for prey to crash into the strands. Research suggests that these spiders tend to stay on their webs’ fringes instead of the hub.
These arachnids know when insects or other arthropods hit their webs via vibratory signals and quickly move to immobilize their victims. They may eat them immediately or save them for some other time.
Cave orb-weavers don’t have medically significant venom and are harmless to humans.
26. Dimorphic Jumping Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Salticidae
- Scientific Name: Maevia inclemens
- Other Names: Dimorphic Jumping Spider, Jumping Spider
- Adult Size: 0.2 to 0.3 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The dimorphic jumping spider is a fascinating arachnid with two different male forms or morphs. That’s why it’s called a dimorphic jumping spider. Unlike males, females aren’t dimorphic.
Scientists are still unsure why there are two distinct male morphs in this species. Besides their appearance, there seems to be no other observable difference between them. Both morphs are also equally represented in most dimorphic jumping spider populations.
One morph is called the black or tufted morph because it has three tufts of hair on its head and a black body. However, only the cephalothorax and abdomen are black. The legs of this morph are white.
The second morph is the gray, striped, or tuftless morph. This morph lacks tufts and has a gray body with orange markings on its abdomen. Oblique black stripes run down this spider’s white legs, and its pedipalps are orange or yellow.
Female dimorphic jumpers usually have two reddish or dark brown lines running down their abdomens. The face of these arachnids is also often white.
You’ll find dimorphic jumping spiders in many Maine counties. These arachnids are common in fields and woodlands, but you’ll also encounter them on walls and around residential buildings.
Like other jumping spiders, this species doesn’t spin conventional webs. But it builds small silk nests for rest. You may find these nests anchored to leaves or tree bark. These shelters don’t serve as insect traps.
Dimorphic jumping spiders have excellent vision and can reach impressive heights when jumping. These qualities make them effective hunters. The spiders often scout their victims before leaping on them and subduing them with venom.
Thankfully, the venom of these spiders is harmless, and the spiders rarely bite people unprovoked.
27. Northern Yellow Sac Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Eutichuridae
- Scientific Name: Cheiracanthium mildei
- Other Names: Long-legged Sac Spider, American Yellow Sac Spider
- Adult Size: 0.16 to 0.4 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The northern yellow sac spider is a yellowish-green or greenish-yellow spider with a dark face and a short dark line at the top of its belly. Sometimes, this species is more white or cream than yellow.
You’ll find the northern yellow sac spider in various types of places indoors and outdoors. Indoors, this species often occupies dark, undisturbed places like closets, wall crevices, and the undersides of unmoved items.
The northern yellow sac spider doesn’t construct typical webs. Instead, it spins a sac-like silk shelter to rest in when inactive. It spends most of the day resting and only emerges from its hiding place at night to feed.
This critter is a skilled hunter, so it doesn’t trap its victims in webs. It ambushes its targets and subdues them with venom before settling down to eat them.
Northern yellow sac spiders are among the most common indoor spiders. You can live with these arachnids for months before noticing them because of their nocturnal nature and tendency to avoid human interactions.
Although reports vary about whether or not these spiders bite unprovoked, their bites are generally harmless. Only in extreme cases does their venom trigger significant symptoms in people allergic to spider venom.
28. Hackled Mesh Weaver
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Amaurobiidae
- Scientific Name: Callobius bennetti
- Other Names: Hacklemesh Weaver, Tangled Nest Spider, Night Spider, Bennett’s Laceweaver
- Adult Size: 0.23 to 0.43 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The hackled mesh weaver is a brown spider with enlarged dark brown or black fangs. Its abdomen is typically brown, gray, or tan with a light pattern in the middle resembling a series of chevrons.
You’ll find this species indoors and outdoors. Outdoors, the spider typically hides under leaf litter, tree bark, rocks, and logs. During colder seasons, this arachnid often migrates indoors and is common in damp basements and other undisturbed spaces.
This arachnid spins webs to trap prey, but its webs are tangled and unattractive. Each web resembles a mesh, and the spider uses one of its legs to lay out its shape when spinning it, like a comb or heckle. That’s why it’s called a hackled mesh weaver.
Although the hackled mesh weaver’s web isn’t as beautiful as orb-weavers’ it’s effective at catching prey. The spider often hides in its crevice and climbs out to the web to immobilize and eat trapped insects.
Hackled mesh weavers look like fiery arachnids, so you might be unsettled to discover one in your home. But don’t panic.
Like most spiders, these critters aren’t aggressive toward people unless threatened. Bites might hurt, but the venom is typically harmless.
29. Wetland Giant Wolf Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Lycosidae
- Scientific Name: Tigrosa helluo
- Other Names: Wetland Wolf Spider
- Adult Size: 0.39 to 0.67 inch
- Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
- Average Price Range: N/A
The wetland giant wolf spider isn’t the giant its name implies.
Compared to other wolf spiders in its genus, this species is pretty average-sized. Its hairy body is brown, and a distinctive brown or yellow line runs from between its eyes to the end of its carapace.
You’ll find the wetland giant wolf spider in woodlands, fields, and marshes. Unlike many wolf spiders, the wetland giant wolf spider is more common in wet places than in dry areas. That’s where this species gets the wetland in its name.
This arachnid doesn’t build webs, preferring to live in burrows or crevices under boards, rocks, logs, and other stationary items. It spends the day resting and only emerges from its shelter at night to catch prey.
Since the wetland giant wolf spider doesn’t spin webs, this hunter often ambushes its targets and immobilizes them with venom. It has excellent vision and is quite agile, qualities that make hunting easy.
Wetland giant wolf spiders are solitary arachnids that hunt and live alone. It’s rare to see two wetland giant wolf spiders living together, except during mating seasons.
Like most spiders in Maine, wetland giant wolf spiders aren’t aggressive toward people. These spiders won’t bite unless threatened.
But even then, their venom doesn’t cause any medically significant symptoms. At most, you might experience pain and redness.
30. Broad-faced Sac Spider
- Experience Level: Beginner
- Family: Trachelidae
- Scientific Name: Trachelas tranquillus
- Other Names: Bullheaded Sac Spider, Sac Spider
- Adult Size: 0.19 to 0.39 inch
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Average Price Range: N/A
The broad-faced sac spider has a deep red or reddish-brown carapace and a light brown or tan abdomen. While the legs of this species are also reddish, the first pair is the deepest red. The intensity of the color progressively fades as you count toward the last pair.
It’s easy to mistake this spider for the woodlouse hunter. But up close, you can differentiate both species by the number and arrangement of their eyes. The woodlouse hunter’s six eyes have a circular arrangement, but this species’ eight eyes are arranged in widely spaced rows.
You’ll find the broad-faced sac spider on the floor, under logs, rocks, and leaves outdoors. It’s common in forests and woodlands. This spider spends the day resting in sac-like silk shelters, which is why it’s called a sac spider.
Like woodlouse hunters, this species is a hunter that doesn’t trap its victims in webs. It pursues or ambushes them before immobilizing them with venom and eating.
In addition to hunting live prey, the broad-faced sac spider scavenges dead and decaying arthropods. That’s one reason the spider often does well even during periods of food scarcity.
This arachnid isn’t aggressive and only bites people when threatened and unable to run. Although its venom is not medically significant, germs left on the spider’s mouthparts after consuming decaying insects sometimes contaminate bite wounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
You probably still have questions about spiders in Maine. Read on to get answers to your most pressing questions.
What do spiders in Maine eat?
Spiders in Maine mainly eat small arthropods. For many species, insects are a dietary staple because of their abundance relative to other arthropods. But many spiders also consume other spiders, including their species members.
In addition to arthropods, many spiders also feed on non-arthropod prey, including some small vertebrates. Fishing spiders are an easy example because these critters often subdue and eat small fish and other small ocean vertebrates.
Do spiders in Maine have good eyesight?
Some spiders in Maine have good eyesight, while others don’t. Although all spider families have varying degrees of quality vision, hunting spiders tend to have much better vision than web-building species.
Many hunting spiders use their eyes to scout prey before ambushing them, and this requires quality eyesight. Most web-building spiders rely primarily on the vibrations of their web strands to locate prey and make sense of their surroundings.
Where can I find spiders in Maine?
Spiders are everywhere in Maine, but not all species are evenly distributed. You’re more likely to find some species in certain areas more than in others, so look up the natural range of any species you want to find before venturing out into the wild.
If you aren’t particular about the species of spiders you find, your home is the first place to look for spiders. You’ll likely find a few critters in your wall or ceiling corners, windowsills, floorboards, or around furniture you haven’t moved in a while.
Outdoors, you may also find these arachnids under your porch and plant pots or in your gardens.
Are there any poisonous spiders in Maine?
Yes, there are many venomous spiders in Maine. In fact, virtually all spiders in the state are venomous. Thankfully, the toxin most of these arachnids inject when they bite is not medically significant.
Some spider bites don’t cause any pain, while others might trigger symptoms like pain and itching, or redness. But none of the spiders in Maine are capable of producing bites with serious symptoms.
Can a spider bite kill you?
Yes, a spider bite can kill you. But this is extremely rare. Thankfully, none of the spider species in Maine can inflict lethal bites.
What is the deadliest spider in Maine?
There are no deadly spiders in Maine. While some Maine arachnids like parson spiders and fishing spiders can inflict painful bites, none are particularly deadly.
Are there brown recluses in Maine?
No, there are no brown recluses in Maine. Sometimes these arachnids hitch rides into the state in vacation gear, boxes, and other goods brought into the state. Most are killed before they reproduce, so they haven’t been able to establish any known stable populations here.
Are there jumping spiders in Maine?
Yes, there are jumping spiders in Maine. There are several species of these lively arachnids in the state, and many people keep them as pets.
Are there black widows in Maine?
No, there are no black widows in Maine. Sightings of these arachnids in Maine are often isolated incidents, and the spiders haven’t successfully established any known local populations.
Are there tarantulas in Maine?
No, there are no native tarantula populations in Maine. These arachnids are desert spiders, so you won’t find them in cold northeastern states like Maine.
Is it legal to own a pet spider in Maine?
It depends on the type of spider and the city in which you live. The state’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife doesn’t place restrictions on keeping some spider species like tarantulas.
However, some towns and cities prohibit people from keeping tarantulas and highly venomous spiders as pets. It’s best to check with your town or city to ensure you’re not breaking any laws.
How many species of spiders are there in Maine?
According to a 2020 study that spanned several decades, there are up to 677 species of spiders in Maine. But as is the case with many states in the US, little is known about most of these spider species. Many species are rare and don’t even have common names.
What are the most common spiders in Maine?
Orb-weavers are among the most common spiders in Maine. These arachnids are almost everywhere, from forests and shrublands to gardens in residential areas. It’s common to find their webs anchored to your front porch, mailbox, and stair handrails.
Wrapping up
As we’ve seen, Maine is home to several types of spiders. But none of these arachnids produce venom strong enough to harm humans. Even better, these arachnids don’t bite people unless provoked and left without a better way to defend themselves.
Although it’s common to panic when you find spiders in your home if you aren’t used to them, these arachnids aren’t out to get you. Spiders run when threatened. But when left alone, these arachnids help reduce the number of pests in your home.
It’s fine to get rid of the spiders in your home if you have an infestation, but there’s no need to sentence every critter that enters your home to death.