Spiders in Delaware
Delaware has 71 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 2,107 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the black-and-yellow argiope, the bold jumper and the familiar jumping spider. Medically significant: the southern black widow and the northern black widow.
Widow spiders in Delaware
Widow spiders: two species are listed for Delaware, with 103 records (5% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the southern black widow (84), ahead of the northern black widow (19).
Observation records of the southern black widow in Delaware run mostly May through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Sussex County and Kent County.
Jumping spiders in Delaware
Jumping spiders: 19 species are listed for Delaware, with 511 records (24% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the bold jumper (140), ahead of the familiar jumping spider (122).
Plus seven: Flea jumping spider, Whitman's jumping spider, Grayish jumping spider, Common Hentz jumping spider, Zebra spider, Thin-spined jumping spider, Dimorphic jumper.
Observation records of the bold jumper in Delaware run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County. Observation records of the familiar jumping spider in Delaware run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County. Observation records of the magnolia green jumper in Delaware run mostly March through November, peaking in March; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County.
Wolf spiders in Delaware
Wolf spiders: eight species are listed for Delaware, with 140 records (7% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is Tigrosa annexa (36), ahead of the Georgia wolf spider (28).
Observation records of Tigrosa annexa in Delaware run mostly March through November, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Sussex County and Kent County.
Orb weavers in Delaware
Orb weavers dominate the spider record of Delaware: 17 species and 28% of all records. The most recorded is the black-and-yellow argiope (151), ahead of the spotted orbweaver (73).
Plus five: Heptagonal orbweaver, Labyrinth orbweaver, Arrowhead orbweaver, White micrathena, Banded garden spider.
Observation records of the black-and-yellow argiope in Delaware run mostly June through September, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County. Observation records of the spotted orbweaver in Delaware run mostly July through November, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Sussex County, New Castle County and Kent County. Observation records of the furrow orbweaver in Delaware run mostly March through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Sussex County and Kent County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Delaware
One species of this group is listed for Delaware: the orchard orbweaver, with 59 records (3% of the state's spider records).
Observation records of the orchard orbweaver in Delaware run mostly May through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County.
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Delaware
Fishing and nursery web spiders: seven species are listed for Delaware, with 215 records (10% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the nursery web spider (91), ahead of the sixspotted fishing spider (58).
Observation records of the nursery web spider in Delaware run mostly May through November, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Sussex County, New Castle County and Kent County. Observation records of the sixspotted fishing spider in Delaware run mostly March through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County. Observation records of the dark fishing spider in Delaware run mostly February through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Sussex County, Kent County and New Castle County.
Crab spiders in Delaware
Crab spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the American green crab spider (25), ahead of the whitebanded crab spider (6).
Cobweb spiders in Delaware
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the triangulate bud spider (36), ahead of the common house spider (11).
Observation records of the triangulate bud spider in Delaware run mostly May through November, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Sussex County, New Castle County and Kent County.
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Delaware
One species of this group is listed for Delaware: Barronopsis jeffersi, with 9 records (0.4% of the state's spider records).
Lynx spiders in Delaware
One species of this group is listed for Delaware: the striped lynx spider, with 7 records (0.3% of the state's spider records).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Delaware
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the blacktailed red sheetweaver (17), ahead of the bowl and doily spider (12).
Ground and sac spiders in Delaware
Ground and sac spiders: five species are listed for Delaware, with 83 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the broad-faced sac spider (32), ahead of the parson spider (29).
Observation records of the broad-faced sac spider in Delaware run mostly July through November, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Sussex County and Kent County.
Other spiders in Delaware
Other spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is Dysdera crocata (13), ahead of the black laceweaver (12).
Where in Delaware are spiders recorded most?
Sussex County dominates: 84% of the state's licensed spider records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 100%. 3 of Delaware's 3 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sussex County | 1,771 | 84.1% |
| 2 | Kent County | 230 | 10.9% |
| 3 | New Castle County | 106 | 5.0% |
When do spiders come out in Delaware?
Observation records of spiders in Delaware run mostly April through November, peaking in July with 17% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 2% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from June to July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 1% | 4% | 7% | 11% | 13% | 17% | 17% | 15% | 11% | 4% | 1% |
Spiders: Delaware compared with its neighbors
Delaware ranks 42nd of 50 states by the number of spider species listed, level with Nebraska; Texas leads with 386 species.
Every state bordering Delaware lists more spider species (Delaware: 71 species; Pennsylvania 164, Maryland 153, New Jersey 127).
What spiders are in Delaware? All 71 species
Ranked by licensed records in Delaware. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 71 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 151 | 7.2% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 140 | 6.6% |
| 3 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 122 | 5.8% |
| 4 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | Pisauridae | 91 | 4.3% |
| 5 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | Theridiidae | 84 | 4.0% |
| 6 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 73 | 3.5% |
| 7 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | Tetragnathidae | 59 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | Salticidae | 58 | 2.8% |
| 9 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | Pisauridae | 58 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | Araneidae | 56 | 2.7% |
| 11 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 49 | 2.3% |
| 12 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | Araneidae | 46 | 2.2% |
| 13 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 43 | 2.0% |
| 14 | Butterfly orbweaver Araneus pegnia | Araneidae | 40 | 1.9% |
| 15 | Tigrosa annexa | Lycosidae | 36 | 1.7% |
| 16 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 36 | 1.7% |
| 17 | Broad-faced sac spider Trachelas tranquillus | Trachelidae | 32 | 1.5% |
| 18 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 29 | 1.4% |
| 19 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 29 | 1.4% |
| 20 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | Lycosidae | 28 | 1.3% |
| 21 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | Thomisidae | 25 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 25 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Arrowshaped micrathena Micrathena sagittata | Araneidae | 23 | 1.1% |
| 24 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 22 | 1.0% |
| 25 | Ribbon jumping spider Metacyrba taeniola | Salticidae | 22 | 1.0% |
| 26 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 21 | 1.0% |
| 27 | Canopy jumping spider Phidippus otiosus | Salticidae | 21 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | Lycosidae | 20 | 0.9% |
| 29 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | Araneidae | 20 | 0.9% |
| 30 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | Araneidae | 20 | 0.9% |
| 31 | Northern black widow venomous Latrodectus variolus | Theridiidae | 19 | 0.9% |
| 32 | Basilica orbweaver Mecynogea lemniscata | Araneidae | 18 | 0.9% |
| 33 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | Salticidae | 18 | 0.9% |
| 34 | Blacktailed red sheetweaver Florinda coccinea | Linyphiidae | 17 | 0.8% |
| 35 | Paraphidippus aurantius | Salticidae | 17 | 0.8% |
| 36 | Starbellied orbweaver Acanthepeira stellata | Araneidae | 17 | 0.8% |
| 37 | Heptagonal orbweaver Gea heptagon | Araneidae | 16 | 0.8% |
| 38 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 16 | 0.8% |
| 39 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 13 | 0.6% |
| 40 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | Salticidae | 13 | 0.6% |
| 41 | Black laceweaver Amaurobius ferox | Amaurobiidae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 42 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 43 | Labyrinth orbweaver Metepeira labyrinthea | Araneidae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 44 | Pisaurina dubia | Pisauridae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 45 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | Lycosidae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 46 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | Araneidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 47 | Common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum | Theridiidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 48 | Gladicosa pulchra | Lycosidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 49 | White micrathena Micrathena mitrata | Araneidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 50 | Garden ghost spider Hibana gracilis | Anyphaenidae | 10 | 0.5% |
| 51 | Barronopsis jeffersi | Agelenidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 52 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | Pisauridae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 53 | Northern yellow sac spider Cheiracanthium mildei | Cheiracanthiidae | 8 | 0.4% |
| 54 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | Salticidae | 8 | 0.4% |
| 55 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | Salticidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 56 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | Oxyopidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 57 | Drumming sword wolf spider Gladicosa gulosa | Lycosidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 58 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 59 | Whitman's jumping spider Phidippus whitmani | Salticidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 60 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | Salticidae | 5 | 0.2% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.