Spiders in Michigan
Michigan has 122 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 2,371 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the familiar jumping spider, the bold jumper and the zebra spider. Medically significant: the northern black widow.
Widow spiders in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the northern black widow, with 4 records (0.2% of the state's spider records).
Jumping spiders in Michigan
Jumping spiders dominate the spider record of Michigan: 26 species and 29% of all records. The most recorded is the familiar jumping spider (153), ahead of the bold jumper (151).
Plus 14: White-jawed jumping spider, Putnam's jumper, Slender ant mimicking jumping spider, Thin-spined jumping spider, Whitman's jumping spider, Habronattus decorus, Hart's jumping spider, Myrmarachne formicaria, Hoy's jumper, Marbled purple jumper, Boreal jumping spider, Hammerjawed jumper, Common Hentz jumping spider, Four-lined slender jumping spider.
Observation records of the familiar jumping spider in Michigan run mostly May through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Allegan County and Bay County. Observation records of the bold jumper in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Ingham County and Kalamazoo County. Observation records of the zebra spider in Michigan run mostly April through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Oakland County and Bay County.
Wolf spiders in Michigan
Wolf spiders: 13 species are listed for Michigan, with 90 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the shoreline wolf spider (30), ahead of the drumming sword wolf spider (29).
Plus one: Woodland giant wolf spider.
Most licensed records of the shoreline wolf spider in Michigan come from Benzie County, Emmet County and Leelanau County.
Orb weavers in Michigan
Orb weavers: 27 species are listed for Michigan, with 467 records (20% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the garden spider (66), ahead of the furrow orbweaver (50).
Plus 15: Cone-shaped orbweaver, Lined orbweaver, Starbellied orbweaver, Giant lichen orbweaver, Lattice orbweaver, Nordmann's orbweaver spider, Ornamental orbweaver, Arrowshaped micrathena, Cyclosa turbinata, Heptagonal orbweaver, Humpbacked orbweaver, Fierce orbweaver, Openfield orbweaver, Arrowhead orbweaver, Butterfly orbweaver.
Observation records of the garden spider in Michigan run mostly July through November, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Ingham County, Oakland County and Charlevoix County. Observation records of the furrow orbweaver in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Monroe County, Washtenaw County and Berrien County. Observation records of the bridge orbweaver in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Bay County and Monroe County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Michigan
Long-jawed orb weavers: five species are listed for Michigan, with 104 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the orchard orbweaver (91), ahead of the big-eyed thick long-jawed spider (6).
Observation records of the orchard orbweaver in Michigan run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Kalamazoo County and Oakland County.
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Michigan
Fishing and nursery web spiders: six species are listed for Michigan, with 186 records (8% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the nursery web spider (78), ahead of the dark fishing spider (76).
Observation records of the nursery web spider in Michigan run mostly May through November, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Allegan County and Berrien County. Observation records of the dark fishing spider in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Berrien County and Keweenaw County.
Crab spiders in Michigan
Crab spiders: eight species are listed for Michigan, with 146 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the goldenrod crab spider (67), ahead of the flower crab spider (36).
Observation records of the goldenrod crab spider in Michigan run mostly June through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Schoolcraft County, Charlevoix County and Leelanau County. Observation records of the flower crab spider in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Ingham County, Charlevoix County and Washtenaw County.
Cobweb spiders in Michigan
Cobweb spiders: seven species are listed for Michigan, with 106 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the common candy-striped spider (44), ahead of the triangulate bud spider (41).
Observation records of the common candy-striped spider in Michigan are concentrated in June and July (93% of them); most licensed records come from Emmet County, Benzie County and Charlevoix County. Observation records of the triangulate bud spider in Michigan run through most of the year, peaking in October; most licensed records come from Wayne County, Washtenaw County and Charlevoix County.
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the barn funnel weaver, with 4 records (0.2% of the state's spider records).
Lynx spiders in Michigan
Lynx spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.3% of records between them. The most recorded is the striped lynx spider (3), ahead of the western lynx spider (3).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Michigan
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: six species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the filmy dome spider (20), ahead of the bowl and doily spider (16).
Same family (Linyphiidae): Frontinella pyramitelaGround and sac spiders in Michigan
Ground and sac spiders: nine species are listed for Michigan, with 89 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the parson spider (46), ahead of the northern yellow sac spider (21).
Related species: Phrurotimpus borealis
Related species: Scotinella redemptaObservation records of the parson spider in Michigan run mostly January through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Midland County, Kalamazoo County and St. Clair County.
Other spiders in Michigan
Other spiders are a small part of the spider record here: eleven species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is Dysdera crocata (9), ahead of the longbodied cellar spider (7).
Where in Michigan are spiders recorded most?
Washtenaw County leads with 363 records (15%), followed by Ingham County and Oakland County; the top five counties hold 39% of the total. 82 of Michigan's 83 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washtenaw County | 363 | 15.3% |
| 2 | Ingham County | 171 | 7.2% |
| 3 | Oakland County | 148 | 6.2% |
| 4 | Kalamazoo County | 133 | 5.6% |
| 5 | Berrien County | 118 | 5.0% |
| 6 | Oceana County | 108 | 4.6% |
| 7 | Wayne County | 91 | 3.8% |
| 8 | Allegan County | 88 | 3.7% |
| 9 | Charlevoix County | 87 | 3.7% |
| 10 | Midland County | 84 | 3.5% |
| 11 | Emmet County | 73 | 3.1% |
| 12 | Bay County | 70 | 3.0% |
When do spiders come out in Michigan?
Observation records of spiders in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in June with 20% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 3% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from May to June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 1% | 3% | 6% | 12% | 20% | 15% | 18% | 15% | 7% | 2% | 1% |
Spiders: Michigan compared with its neighbors
Michigan ranks 26th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed; Texas leads with 386 species.
Every state bordering Michigan lists more spider species (Michigan: 122 species; Ohio 332, Wisconsin 149, Indiana 133).
What spiders are in Michigan? All 122 species
Ranked by licensed records in Michigan. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 122 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 153 | 6.5% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 151 | 6.4% |
| 3 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 92 | 3.9% |
| 4 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | Tetragnathidae | 91 | 3.8% |
| 5 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | Pisauridae | 78 | 3.3% |
| 6 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 76 | 3.2% |
| 7 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | Thomisidae | 67 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Garden spider Araneus diadematus | Araneidae | 66 | 2.8% |
| 9 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | Salticidae | 55 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | Araneidae | 50 | 2.1% |
| 11 | Bridge orbweaver Larinioides sclopetarius | Araneidae | 48 | 2.0% |
| 12 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 46 | 1.9% |
| 13 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | Araneidae | 46 | 1.9% |
| 14 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 45 | 1.9% |
| 15 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 45 | 1.9% |
| 16 | Common candy-striped spider Enoplognatha ovata | Theridiidae | 44 | 1.9% |
| 17 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 41 | 1.7% |
| 18 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 38 | 1.6% |
| 19 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | Salticidae | 37 | 1.6% |
| 20 | Flower crab spider Mecaphesa asperata | Thomisidae | 36 | 1.5% |
| 21 | Asian wall jumper Attulus fasciger | Salticidae | 34 | 1.4% |
| 22 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 31 | 1.3% |
| 23 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | Lycosidae | 30 | 1.3% |
| 24 | Drumming sword wolf spider Gladicosa gulosa | Lycosidae | 29 | 1.2% |
| 25 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 26 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 22 | 0.9% |
| 27 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 22 | 0.9% |
| 28 | Northern yellow sac spider Cheiracanthium mildei | Cheiracanthiidae | 21 | 0.9% |
| 29 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | Linyphiidae | 20 | 0.8% |
| 30 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | Araneidae | 18 | 0.8% |
| 31 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 17 | 0.7% |
| 32 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 16 | 0.7% |
| 33 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 16 | 0.7% |
| 34 | Common white-cheeked jumping spider Pelegrina proterva | Salticidae | 15 | 0.6% |
| 35 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | Pisauridae | 15 | 0.6% |
| 36 | Shamrock orbweaver Araneus trifolium | Araneidae | 14 | 0.6% |
| 37 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 38 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 39 | Boreal combfoot Steatoda borealis | Theridiidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 40 | Cone-shaped orbweaver Cyclosa conica | Araneidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 41 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | Salticidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 42 | Tuberculated crab spider Tmarus angulatus | Thomisidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 43 | Paraphidippus aurantius | Salticidae | 10 | 0.4% |
| 44 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | Thomisidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 45 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 46 | Origanates rostratus | Linyphiidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 47 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | Salticidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 48 | Broad-faced sac spider Trachelas tranquillus | Trachelidae | 8 | 0.3% |
| 49 | Lined orbweaver Mangora gibberosa | Araneidae | 8 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | Salticidae | 8 | 0.3% |
| 51 | Slender ant mimicking jumping spider Synemosyna formica | Salticidae | 8 | 0.3% |
| 52 | Garden ghost spider Hibana gracilis | Anyphaenidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 53 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | Pholcidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 54 | Shore spider Pardosa milvina | Lycosidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 55 | Big-eyed thick long-jawed spider Pachygnatha autumnalis | Tetragnathidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 56 | Cicurina arcuata | Hahniidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 57 | Forest wolf spider Hogna frondicola | Lycosidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 58 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 59 | Green long-jawed orbweaver Tetragnatha viridis | Tetragnathidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 60 | Pholcus manueli | Pholcidae | 5 | 0.2% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.