Snakes and spiders in Bexar County, Texas
Bexar County, home of San Antonio, has 29 snake and 89 spider species on record, from 708 licensed snake and 1,492 spider records. Venomous species here: the western diamondback rattlesnake, the Texas coral snake, the northern cottonmouth, the broad-banded copperhead, the eastern black-tailed rattlesnake, the brown widow, the western black widow, the southern black widow and the brown recluse.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Bexar County?
Yes. The western diamondback rattlesnake: 37 licensed records, 1% of all Texas records of it. The Texas coral snake: 35 licensed records, 6% of all Texas records of it. The northern cottonmouth: 12 licensed records, 1% of all Texas records of it. The broad-banded copperhead: 7 licensed records, 2% of all Texas records of it. The eastern black-tailed rattlesnake: 3 licensed records, 1% of all Texas records of it. The brown widow: 26 licensed records, 29% of all Texas records of it. The western black widow: 6 licensed records, 4% of all Texas records of it. The southern black widow: 4 licensed records, 2% of all Texas records of it. The brown recluse: 3 licensed records, 3% of all Texas records of it.
What snakes are in Bexar County?
In all, 29 snake species are on the Bexar County list. The most recorded are the western rat snake (73), the checkered garter snake (58) and the diamondback water snake (52).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 73 | 4% |
| 2 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | 58 | 3% |
| 3 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | 52 | 3% |
| 4 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | 49 | 5% |
| 5 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 48 | 2% |
| 6 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | 37 | 1% |
| 7 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | 37 | 1% |
| 8 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 35 | 2% |
| 9 | Texas coral snake venomous Micrurus tener | 35 | 6% |
| 10 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 33 | 2% |
| 11 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 24 | 3% |
| 12 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | 23 | 2% |
| 13 | Great Plains rat snake Pantherophis emoryi | 21 | 3% |
| 14 | Graham's crayfish snake Regina grahamii | 20 | 10% |
| 15 | Texas patch-nosed snake Salvadora lineata | 14 | 12% |
| 16 | Eastern patch-nosed snake Salvadora grahamiae | 13 | 4% |
| 17 | Striped whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus | 13 | 3% |
| 18 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | 12 | 1% |
| 19 | Blackneck garter snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis | 9 | 2% |
| 20 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 9 | 1% |
| 21 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | 8 | 1% |
| 22 | Broad-banded copperhead venomous Agkistrodon laticinctus | 7 | 2% |
| 23 | Glossy snake Arizona elegans | 7 | 1% |
| 24 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 6 | 18% |
| 25 | Schott's whipsnake Masticophis schotti | 5 | 3% |
| 26 | Desert kingsnake Lampropeltis splendida | 3 | 3% |
| 27 | Eastern black-tailed rattlesnake venomous Crotalus ornatus | 3 | 1% |
| 28 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 2 | 0% |
| 29 | Chihuahuan night snake Hypsiglena jani | 1 | 0% |
When are snakes out in Bexar County?
Observation records of snakes in Bexar County run mostly March through November, peaking in April with 21% of them, the same peak as Texas as a whole.
What spiders are in Bexar County?
In all, 89 spider species are on the Bexar County list. The most recorded are the black-and-yellow argiope (115), Cicurina varians (91) and the twin-flagged jumping spider (53). Bexar County holds more than half of all Texas records of the Government Canyon bat cave spider, Tayshaneta sprousei, Tayshaneta whitei and Tayshaneta madla.
Related species: Cicurina arcuata
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 115 | 6% |
| 2 | Cicurina varians | 91 | 18% |
| 3 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | 53 | 8% |
| 4 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 51 | 4% |
| 5 | Eidmannella rostrata | 43 | 45% |
| 6 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 40 | 5% |
| 7 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 39 | 9% |
| 8 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 35 | 3% |
| 9 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 34 | 5% |
| 10 | Cryptachaea porteri | 27 | 15% |
| 11 | Brown widow venomous introduced Latrodectus geometricus | 26 | 29% |
| 12 | Government Canyon bat cave spider Tayshaneta microps | 24 | 100% |
| 13 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | 24 | 6% |
| 14 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | 22 | 4% |
| 15 | Western spotted orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis | 21 | 5% |
| 16 | Cribellate spider Metaltella simoni | 18 | 8% |
| 17 | Giant lichen orbweaver Araneus bicentenarius | 18 | 12% |
| 18 | Agyneta llanoensis | 17 | 10% |
| 19 | Cave cobweb spider Eidmannella pallida | 17 | 13% |
| 20 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | 15 | 5% |
| 21 | Tayshaneta sprousei | 14 | 100% |
| 22 | Mecaphesa dubia | 13 | 10% |
| 23 | Texas brown tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi | 13 | 4% |
| 24 | Tayshaneta whitei | 11 | 92% |
| 25 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 10 | 2% |
| 26 | Southwestern trapdoor spider Eucteniza relata | 10 | 22% |
| 27 | Tayshaneta madla | 10 | 100% |
| 28 | Texas tan tarantula Aphonopelma anax | 9 | 7% |
| 29 | Falconina gracilis | 7 | 4% |
| 30 | Hogna antelucana | 7 | 1% |
| 31 | Humpbacked orbweaver Eustala anastera | 7 | 7% |
| 32 | Madla cave meshweaver Cicurina madla | 7 | 100% |
| 33 | Phidippus arizonensis | 7 | 7% |
| 34 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 6 | 3% |
| 35 | Naphrys acerba | 6 | 11% |
| 36 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | 6 | 4% |
| 37 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 5 | 3% |
| 38 | Habronattus fallax | 5 | 11% |
| 39 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | 5 | 3% |
| 40 | Scytodes univittata | 5 | 16% |
| 41 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | 5 | 6% |
| 42 | Colonus hesperus | 4 | 15% |
| 43 | Gray wall jumper Menemerus bivittatus | 4 | 1% |
| 44 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | 4 | 10% |
| 45 | Ribbon jumping spider Metacyrba taeniola | 4 | 5% |
| 46 | Silver argiope Argiope argentata | 4 | 2% |
| 47 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 4 | 2% |
| 48 | Teminius affinis | 4 | 12% |
| 49 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | 3 | 3% |
| 50 | Butterfly orbweaver Araneus pegnia | 3 | 4% |
| 51 | Carolina jumping spider Phidippus carolinensis | 3 | 2% |
| 52 | Colonus puerperus | 3 | 4% |
| 53 | Deadly ground crab spider Xysticus funestus | 3 | 5% |
| 54 | Dysdera crocata | 3 | 8% |
| 55 | Eriophora edax | 3 | 2% |
| 56 | Lined orbweaver Mangora gibberosa | 3 | 3% |
| 57 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | 3 | 1% |
| 58 | Scytodes atlacoya | 3 | 4% |
| 59 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 3 | 2% |
| 60 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 2 | 1% |
When are spiders out in Bexar County?
Observation records of spiders in Bexar County run mostly April through December, peaking in July with 14% of them; across Texas the peak is April.
What stands out in Bexar County
Species for which Bexar County holds a large share of all Texas records: the Government Canyon bat cave spider, 100% (24 of 24); Eidmannella rostrata, 45% (43 of 96); the brown widow, 29% (26 of 91); the southwestern trapdoor spider, 22% (10 of 45); Cicurina varians, 18% (91 of 514).
Common in Texas, not on the Bexar County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Texas, these do not reach the county list: the western ground snake (1,963 statewide) and the eastern copperhead (1,188 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Bexar County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the diamondback water snake and the plain-bellied watersnake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the Great Plains rat snake, the gopher snake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the triangulate bud spider. Recluse spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the southern house spider.
Bexar County among Texas counties
By licensed snake records Bexar County ranks 8th of 254 Texas counties with any.
Other Texas counties with their own page: Travis County, Brewster County, Harris County, Brazos County, El Paso County, Jeff Davis County, Val Verde County and Hudspeth County.
The whole state: venomous species in Texas, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.