Spiders in South Dakota
South Dakota has 29 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 191 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the banded garden spider, the bold jumper and the Apache jumping spider. Medically significant: the western black widow.
Widow spiders in South Dakota
One species of this group is listed for South Dakota: the western black widow, with 3 records (2% of the state's spider records).
Jumping spiders in South Dakota
Jumping spiders: seven species are listed for South Dakota, with 46 records (24% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the bold jumper (18), ahead of the Apache jumping spider (7).
Wolf spiders in South Dakota
Wolf spiders: four species are listed for South Dakota, with 11 records (6% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is Tigrosa grandis (6), ahead of the Carolina wolf spider (3).
Orb weavers in South Dakota
Orb weavers: six species are listed for South Dakota, with 36 records (19% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the banded garden spider (23), ahead of the black-and-yellow argiope (4).
Fishing and nursery web spiders in South Dakota
Fishing and nursery web spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the dark fishing spider (3), ahead of the dock spider (1).
Crab spiders in South Dakota
Crab spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the goldenrod crab spider (3), ahead of the celer crab spider (1).
Cobweb spiders in South Dakota
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the triangulate bud spider (2), ahead of Theridion pierre (0).
Related species: Theridion frondeumFunnel weavers and grass spiders in South Dakota
One species of this group is listed for South Dakota: the barn funnel weaver, with 3 records (2% of the state's spider records).
Lynx spiders in South Dakota
One species of this group is listed for South Dakota: the western lynx spider, with 2 records (1% of the state's spider records).
Ground and sac spiders in South Dakota
One species of this group is listed for South Dakota: the parson spider, with 3 records (2% of the state's spider records).
Other spiders in South Dakota
One species of this group is listed for South Dakota: the longbodied cellar spider, with 3 records (2% of the state's spider records).
Where in South Dakota are spiders recorded most?
Pennington County dominates: 37% of the state's licensed spider records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 69%. 30 of South Dakota's 66 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennington County | 70 | 36.6% |
| 2 | Minnehaha County | 23 | 12.0% |
| 3 | Custer County | 17 | 8.9% |
| 4 | Codington County | 13 | 6.8% |
| 5 | Sanborn County | 8 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Brookings County | 6 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Jackson County | 5 | 2.6% |
| 8 | Deuel County | 4 | 2.1% |
| 9 | Grant County | 4 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Hand County | 4 | 2.1% |
| 11 | Lincoln County | 4 | 2.1% |
| 12 | McCook County | 4 | 2.1% |
When do spiders come out in South Dakota?
Observation records of spiders in South Dakota run mostly May through October, peaking in August with 29% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so spiders in South Dakota are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from June to July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 6% | 8% | 15% | 29% | 28% | 8% | 1% | 0% |
Spiders: South Dakota compared with its neighbors
South Dakota ranks 50th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed; Texas leads with 386 species.
Every state bordering South Dakota lists more spider species (South Dakota: 29 species; Minnesota 145, North Dakota 115, Montana 75, Nebraska 71, Wyoming 68, Iowa 57).
What spiders are in South Dakota? All 29 species
Ranked by licensed records in South Dakota. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 23 | 12.0% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 18 | 9.4% |
| 3 | Apache jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus | Salticidae | 7 | 3.7% |
| 4 | Pelegrina aeneola | Salticidae | 7 | 3.7% |
| 5 | Tigrosa grandis | Lycosidae | 6 | 3.1% |
| 6 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 6 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 5 | 2.6% |
| 8 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 4 | 2.1% |
| 9 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 4 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | Agelenidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Carolina wolf spider Hogna carolinensis | Lycosidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 12 | Cat-faced spider Araneus gemmoides | Araneidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | Thomisidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 15 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | Pholcidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 16 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 17 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | Theridiidae | 3 | 1.6% |
| 18 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 2 | 1.0% |
| 19 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | Lycosidae | 2 | 1.0% |
| 20 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 2 | 1.0% |
| 21 | Western lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris | Oxyopidae | 2 | 1.0% |
| 22 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 1 | 0.5% |
| 23 | Celer crab spider Mecaphesa celer | Thomisidae | 1 | 0.5% |
| 24 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 1 | 0.5% |
| 25 | Marsh orbweaver Neoscona pratensis | Araneidae | 1 | 0.5% |
| 26 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 1 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Theridion pierre | Theridiidae | 0 | 0.0% |
| 28 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 0 | 0.0% |
| 29 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 0 | 0.0% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.