Spiders in Iowa
Iowa has 57 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 680 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the bold jumper, the familiar jumping spider and the black-and-yellow argiope. Medically significant: the brown recluse.
Recluse spiders in Iowa
One species of this group is listed for Iowa: the brown recluse, with 2 records (0.3% of the state's spider records).
Jumping spiders in Iowa
Jumping spiders dominate the spider record of Iowa: 15 species and 34% of all records. The most recorded is the bold jumper (96), ahead of the familiar jumping spider (64).
Plus three: Thin-spined jumping spider, Dimorphic jumper, Peppered jumper.
Observation records of the bold jumper in Iowa run mostly May through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Harrison County, Johnson County and Linn County. Observation records of the familiar jumping spider in Iowa run mostly May through September, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Harrison County, Johnson County and Linn County.
Wolf spiders in Iowa
Wolf spiders: seven species are listed for Iowa, with 44 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the wetland giant wolf spider (26), ahead of the rabid wolf spider (6).
Orb weavers in Iowa
Orb weavers: 14 species are listed for Iowa, with 136 records (20% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the black-and-yellow argiope (39), ahead of the banded garden spider (22).
Plus two: Shamrock orbweaver, Tuftlegged orbweaver.
Observation records of the black-and-yellow argiope in Iowa run mostly July through September, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Story County, Hamilton County and Cedar County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Iowa
One species of this group is listed for Iowa: the orchard orbweaver, with 6 records (0.9% of the state's spider records).
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Iowa
Fishing and nursery web spiders: five species are listed for Iowa, with 27 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the nursery web spider (13), ahead of the dark fishing spider (8).
Crab spiders in Iowa
Crab spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the whitebanded crab spider (8), ahead of the American green crab spider (5).
Cobweb spiders in Iowa
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 (12), ahead of the boreal combfoot (2).
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Iowa
One species of this group is listed for Iowa: the barn funnel weaver, with 11 records (2% of the state's spider records).
Lynx spiders in Iowa
One species of this group is listed for Iowa: the striped lynx spider, with 1 record (0.1% of the state's spider records).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Iowa
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 bowl and doily spider (5), ahead of the filmy dome spider (4).
Ground and sac spiders in Iowa
Ground and sac spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is the parson spider (13), ahead of the broad-faced sac spider (6).
Other spiders in Iowa
Other spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is Pholcus manueli (4), ahead of the longbodied cellar spider (3).
Where in Iowa are spiders recorded most?
Linn County leads with 143 records (21%), followed by Harrison County and Johnson County; the top five counties hold 59% of the total. 50 of Iowa's 99 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linn County | 143 | 21.0% |
| 2 | Harrison County | 122 | 17.9% |
| 3 | Johnson County | 65 | 9.6% |
| 4 | Story County | 42 | 6.2% |
| 5 | Madison County | 32 | 4.7% |
| 6 | Polk County | 25 | 3.7% |
| 7 | Des Moines County | 24 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Jackson County | 24 | 3.5% |
| 9 | Pottawattamie County | 21 | 3.1% |
| 10 | Woodbury County | 20 | 2.9% |
| 11 | Dubuque County | 15 | 2.2% |
| 12 | Shelby County | 13 | 1.9% |
When do spiders come out in Iowa?
Observation records of spiders in Iowa run mostly May through October, peaking in September with 27% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so spiders in Iowa are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from April to May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 1% | 4% | 11% | 15% | 13% | 17% | 27% | 11% | 1% | 0% |
Spiders: Iowa compared with its neighbors
Iowa ranks 45th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed, level with Hawaii; Texas leads with 386 species.
Of the six states bordering Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska list more spider species (Iowa: 57 species; Illinois 243, Wisconsin 149, Minnesota 145, Missouri 117, Nebraska 71, South Dakota 29).
What spiders are in Iowa? All 57 species
Ranked by licensed records in Iowa. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 96 | 14.1% |
| 2 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 64 | 9.4% |
| 3 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 39 | 5.7% |
| 4 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 26 | 3.8% |
| 5 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 22 | 3.2% |
| 6 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 21 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 20 | 2.9% |
| 8 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | Araneidae | 18 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | Pisauridae | 13 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 13 | 1.9% |
| 11 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | Araneidae | 13 | 1.9% |
| 12 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 12 | 1.8% |
| 13 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | Agelenidae | 11 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 11 | 1.6% |
| 15 | Asian wall jumper Attulus fasciger | Salticidae | 8 | 1.2% |
| 16 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 8 | 1.2% |
| 17 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 8 | 1.2% |
| 18 | Broad-faced sac spider Trachelas tranquillus | Trachelidae | 6 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 6 | 0.9% |
| 20 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | Tetragnathidae | 6 | 0.9% |
| 21 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | Lycosidae | 6 | 0.9% |
| 22 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | Thomisidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Drumming sword wolf spider Gladicosa gulosa | Lycosidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | Salticidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 26 | Paraphidippus aurantius | Salticidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 27 | White micrathena Micrathena mitrata | Araneidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 28 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 4 | 0.6% |
| 29 | Cone-shaped orbweaver Cyclosa conica | Araneidae | 4 | 0.6% |
| 30 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | Linyphiidae | 4 | 0.6% |
| 31 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | Salticidae | 4 | 0.6% |
| 32 | Pholcus manueli | Pholcidae | 4 | 0.6% |
| 33 | Carolina wolf spider Hogna carolinensis | Lycosidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 34 | Common white-cheeked jumping spider Pelegrina proterva | Salticidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 35 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | Pholcidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 36 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | Salticidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 37 | Woodland giant wolf spider Tigrosa aspersa | Lycosidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 38 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 39 | Boreal combfoot Steatoda borealis | Theridiidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 40 | Bridge orbweaver Larinioides sclopetarius | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 41 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | Sicariidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 42 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 43 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 44 | Openfield orbweaver Araneus pratensis | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 45 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | Salticidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 46 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | Pisauridae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 47 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 48 | Thin-spined jumping spider Tutelina elegans | Salticidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 49 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | Pisauridae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | Salticidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 51 | Flower crab spider Mecaphesa asperata | Thomisidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 52 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | Lycosidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 53 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | Oxyopidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 54 | Dotted wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata | Lycosidae | 0 | 0.0% |
| 55 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 0 | 0.0% |
| 56 | Shamrock orbweaver Araneus trifolium | Araneidae | 0 | 0.0% |
| 57 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | Araneidae | 0 | 0.0% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.