Spiders in Montana
Montana has 75 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 2,237 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the McCook's split wolf spider, the pale thin-legged wolf spider and the goldenrod crab spider. Medically significant: the western black widow.
Widow spiders in Montana
One species of this group is listed for Montana: the western black widow, with 9 records (0.4% of the state's spider records).
Jumping spiders in Montana
Jumping spiders: 15 species are listed for Montana, with 131 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the zebra spider (54), ahead of the California flattened jumping spider (15).
Plus three: Asian wall jumper, Common Hentz jumping spider, Tyrell's tufted jumping spider.
Observation records of the zebra spider in Montana run mostly March through September, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Fergus County, Missoula County and Lake County.
Wolf spiders in Montana
Wolf spiders: 19 species are listed for Montana, with 499 records (22% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the McCook's split wolf spider (257), ahead of the pale thin-legged wolf spider (83).
Related species: Pardosa saxatilisRelated species: Pardosa saxatilis
Plus seven: Pardosa coloradensis, Pardosa fuscula, Pardosa sternalis, Pirate otter spider, Ubiquitous thin-legged wolf spider, Hilltop wolf spider, Pardosa concinna.
Most licensed records of the McCook's split wolf spider in Montana come from Missoula County and Cascade County. Most licensed records of the pale thin-legged wolf spider in Montana come from Missoula County, Sweet Grass County and Madison County. Most licensed records of Pardosa dorsalis in Montana come from Missoula County and Flathead County.
Orb weavers in Montana
Orb weavers: twelve species are listed for Montana, with 127 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the banded garden spider (44), ahead of the cone-shaped orbweaver (15).
Observation records of the banded garden spider in Montana are concentrated in August and September (90% of them); most licensed records come from Fergus County, Missoula County and Yellowstone County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in Montana
Long-jawed orb weavers are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.7% of records between them. The most recorded is the long-jawed orb weaver (13), ahead of the versicolor long-jawed orbweaver (2).
Fishing and nursery web spiders in Montana
One species of this group is listed for Montana: the sixspotted fishing spider, with 1 record (under 0.1% of the state's spider records).
Crab spiders in Montana
Crab spiders: nine species are listed for Montana, with 126 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the goldenrod crab spider (60), ahead of Thanatus formicinus (23).
Observation records of the goldenrod crab spider in Montana run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Missoula County, Ravalli County and Flathead County.
Cobweb spiders in Montana
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: four species with 0.1% of records between them. The most recorded is the common candy-striped spider (2), ahead of Euryopis scriptipes (0).
Related species: Euryopis funebris
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in Montana
Funnel weavers and grass spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 0.8% of records between them. The most recorded is the barn funnel weaver (9), ahead of the hobo spider (8).
Lynx spiders in Montana
One species of this group is listed for Montana: the western lynx spider, with 11 records (0.5% of the state's spider records).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in Montana
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 0.9% of records between them. The most recorded is the filmy dome spider (15), ahead of the thick-headed dwarf weaver (4).
Ground and sac spiders in Montana
Ground and sac spiders: three species are listed for Montana, with 79 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is Gnaphosa muscorum (57), ahead of Clubiona mixta (22).
Related species: Clubiona abboti
Most licensed records of Gnaphosa muscorum in Montana come from Missoula County and Madison County.
Other spiders in Montana
Other spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0% of records between them. The most recorded is Dictyna coloradensis (0), ahead of Dictyna tridentata (0).
Related species: Dictyna bellansRelated species: Dictyna bellansWhere in Montana are spiders recorded most?
Missoula County dominates: 76% of the state's licensed spider records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 89%. 36 of Montana's 56 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missoula County | 1,709 | 76.4% |
| 2 | Valley County | 106 | 4.7% |
| 3 | Fergus County | 93 | 4.2% |
| 4 | Madison County | 47 | 2.1% |
| 5 | Flathead County | 42 | 1.9% |
| 6 | Sweet Grass County | 31 | 1.4% |
| 7 | Glacier County | 29 | 1.3% |
| 8 | Yellowstone County | 24 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Ravalli County | 21 | 0.9% |
| 10 | Carbon County | 20 | 0.9% |
| 11 | Gallatin County | 14 | 0.6% |
| 12 | Lake County | 13 | 0.6% |
When do spiders come out in Montana?
Observation records of spiders in Montana run mostly April through September, peaking in July with 22% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so spiders in Montana 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% | 3% | 11% | 18% | 22% | 19% | 20% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
Spiders: Montana compared with its neighbors
Montana ranks 39th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed; Texas leads with 386 species.
Of the four states bordering Montana, North Dakota lists more spider species (Montana: 75 species; North Dakota 115, Wyoming 68, Idaho 56, South Dakota 29).
What spiders are in Montana? All 75 species
Ranked by licensed records in Montana. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 75 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McCook's split wolf spider Schizocosa mccooki | Lycosidae | 257 | 11.5% |
| 2 | Pale thin-legged wolf spider Pardosa distincta | Lycosidae | 83 | 3.7% |
| 3 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | Thomisidae | 60 | 2.7% |
| 4 | Gnaphosa muscorum | Gnaphosidae | 57 | 2.5% |
| 5 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 54 | 2.4% |
| 6 | Pardosa dorsalis | Lycosidae | 51 | 2.3% |
| 7 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 44 | 2.0% |
| 8 | Pardosa wyuta | Lycosidae | 28 | 1.3% |
| 9 | Thanatus formicinus | Philodromidae | 23 | 1.0% |
| 10 | Clubiona mixta | Clubionidae | 22 | 1.0% |
| 11 | Spinyrib wolf spider Alopecosa aculeata | Lycosidae | 22 | 1.0% |
| 12 | Turf running spider Philodromus cespitum | Philodromidae | 21 | 0.9% |
| 13 | Groenland wolf spider Pardosa groenlandica | Lycosidae | 18 | 0.8% |
| 14 | California flattened jumping spider Platycryptus californicus | Salticidae | 15 | 0.7% |
| 15 | Cone-shaped orbweaver Cyclosa conica | Araneidae | 15 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | Linyphiidae | 15 | 0.7% |
| 17 | Cat-faced spider Araneus gemmoides | Araneidae | 14 | 0.6% |
| 18 | Long-jawed orb weaver Tetragnatha laboriosa | Tetragnathidae | 13 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 20 | Johnson jumper Phidippus johnsoni | Salticidae | 12 | 0.5% |
| 21 | Forest wolf spider Hogna frondicola | Lycosidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 22 | Western lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris | Oxyopidae | 11 | 0.5% |
| 23 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | Agelenidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 24 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 25 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 26 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | Theridiidae | 9 | 0.4% |
| 27 | Hobo spider Eratigena agrestis | Agelenidae | 8 | 0.4% |
| 28 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 8 | 0.4% |
| 29 | Apache jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus | Salticidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 30 | Habronattus americanus | Salticidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 31 | Nordmann's orbweaver spider Araneus nordmanni | Araneidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 32 | Shiny wolf spider Pardosa moesta | Lycosidae | 7 | 0.3% |
| 33 | Emerton's crab spider Xysticus emertoni | Thomisidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 34 | Oblong running spider Tibellus oblongus | Philodromidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 35 | Ornamental orbweaver Larinioides patagiatus | Araneidae | 6 | 0.3% |
| 36 | Attractive running crab spider Rhysodromus histrio | Philodromidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 37 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 38 | Boreal jumping spider Phidippus borealis | Salticidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 39 | Fierce orbweaver Araneus saevus | Araneidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 40 | Northern orb weaver Aculepeira packardi | Araneidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 41 | Tigrosa grandis | Lycosidae | 5 | 0.2% |
| 42 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 4 | 0.2% |
| 43 | Marbled purple jumper Phidippus purpuratus | Salticidae | 4 | 0.2% |
| 44 | Pelegrina aeneola | Salticidae | 4 | 0.2% |
| 45 | Thick-headed dwarf weaver Ceraticelus crassiceps | Linyphiidae | 4 | 0.2% |
| 46 | Carolina wolf spider Hogna carolinensis | Lycosidae | 3 | 0.1% |
| 47 | Mackenzie's thin-legged wolf spider Pardosa mackenziana | Lycosidae | 3 | 0.1% |
| 48 | Proszynski's jumping spider Evarcha proszynskii | Salticidae | 3 | 0.1% |
| 49 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | Lycosidae | 3 | 0.1% |
| 50 | Thanatus coloradensis | Philodromidae | 3 | 0.1% |
| 51 | Asian wall jumper Attulus fasciger | Salticidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 52 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 53 | Common candy-striped spider Enoplognatha ovata | Theridiidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 54 | Pardosa coloradensis | Lycosidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 55 | Pardosa fuscula | Lycosidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 56 | Pardosa sternalis | Lycosidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 57 | Utah crab spider Bassaniana utahensis | Thomisidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 58 | Versicolor long-jawed orbweaver Tetragnatha versicolor | Tetragnathidae | 2 | 0.1% |
| 59 | Pirate otter spider Pirata piraticus | Lycosidae | 1 | 0.0% |
| 60 | Sierra dome spider Neriene litigiosa | Linyphiidae | 1 | 0.0% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.