Snakes and spiders in Effingham County, Illinois
Effingham County, home of Effingham, has 0 snake and 5 spider species on record, from 10 licensed snake and 698 spider records. No venomous snake or spider reaches the county list, but the northern cottonmouth, the eastern copperhead, the eastern massasauga, the timber rattlesnake and 3 more are on the Illinois list: treat any snake or spider like them as venomous until identified.
What spiders are in Effingham County?
In all, 5 spider species are on the Effingham County list. The most recorded are the openfield orbweaver (47), the lance wolf spider (32) and the striped lynx spider (19). Effingham County holds more than half of all Illinois records of the openfield orbweaver.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Illinois records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Openfield orbweaver Araneus pratensis | 47 | 50% |
| 2 | Lance wolf spider Schizocosa avida | 32 | 27% |
| 3 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | 19 | 24% |
| 4 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 1 | 0% |
| 5 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | — | — |
What stands out in Effingham County
Species for which Effingham County holds a large share of all Illinois records: the openfield orbweaver, 50% (47 of 94); the lance wolf spider, 27% (32 of 119); the striped lynx spider, 24% (19 of 79).
Common in Illinois, not on the Effingham County list
Among the spiders most recorded across Illinois, these do not reach the county list: Pardosa saxatilis (545 statewide), the brown recluse (313 statewide), Piratula minuta (208 statewide), the pale sheetweb weaver (196 statewide), the brush-legged split wolf spider (192 statewide) and the tan crab spider (187 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Effingham County among Illinois counties
By licensed snake records Effingham County ranks 41st of 90 Illinois counties with any.
Other Illinois counties with their own page: Union County, Cook County, Will County, Champaign County, Jo Daviess County, Mason County, Iroquois County and Lee County.
The whole state: venomous species in Illinois, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.