Spiders in West Virginia
West Virginia has 90 spider species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 758 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the orchard orbweaver, the bold jumper and Hypochilus gertschi. Medically significant: the northern black widow and the southern black widow.
Widow spiders in West Virginia
Widow spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.5% of records between them. The most recorded is the northern black widow (3), ahead of the southern black widow (1).
Jumping spiders in West Virginia
Jumping spiders: 17 species are listed for West Virginia, with 173 records (23% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the bold jumper (48), ahead of the dimorphic jumper (20).
Plus five: Putnam's jumper, Whitman's jumping spider, Habronattus decorus, Sylvan jumping spider, Zebra spider.
Observation records of the bold jumper in West Virginia run mostly May through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Hardy County, Gilmer County and Jefferson County.
Wolf spiders in West Virginia
Wolf spiders: nine species are listed for West Virginia, with 29 records (4% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the rabid wolf spider (12), ahead of the wetland giant wolf spider (7).
Orb weavers in West Virginia
Orb weavers: 22 species are listed for West Virginia, with 168 records (22% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the furrow orbweaver (31), ahead of the spined micrathena (25).
Plus ten: Cone-shaped orbweaver, Cyclosa turbinata, Bridge orbweaver, Butterfly orbweaver, Humpbacked orbweaver, Red-spotted orbweaver, Shamrock orbweaver, Barn spider, Heptagonal orbweaver, Tuftlegged orbweaver.
Observation records of the furrow orbweaver in West Virginia run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Monongalia County, Hardy County and Fayette County.
Long-jawed orb weavers in West Virginia
Long-jawed orb weavers: two species are listed for West Virginia, with 64 records (8% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the orchard orbweaver (59), ahead of the eastern cave long-jawed spider (5).
Observation records of the orchard orbweaver in West Virginia run mostly April through July, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Hampshire County, Gilmer County and Monongalia County.
Fishing and nursery web spiders in West Virginia
Fishing and nursery web spiders: seven species are listed for West Virginia, with 80 records (11% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is the dark fishing spider (26), ahead of the dock spider (19).
Crab spiders in West Virginia
Crab spiders are a small part of the spider record here: eight species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is the American green crab spider (8), ahead of the goldenrod crab spider (7).
Cobweb spiders in West Virginia
Cobweb spiders are a small part of the spider record here: two species with 0.7% of records between them. The most recorded is the triangulate bud spider (5), ahead of the boreal combfoot (0).
Funnel weavers and grass spiders in West Virginia
One species of this group is listed for West Virginia: the barn funnel weaver, with 4 records (0.5% of the state's spider records).
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders in West Virginia
Sheetweb and dwarf spiders are a small part of the spider record here: three species with 0.4% of records between them. The most recorded is the bowl and doily spider (2), ahead of the blacktailed red sheetweaver (1).
Same family (Linyphiidae): Frontinella pyramitelaGround and sac spiders in West Virginia
Ground and sac spiders are a small part of the spider record here: nine species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the parson spider (14), ahead of the two-lined stealthy ground spider (2).
Related species: Phrurotimpus borealis
Other spiders in West Virginia
Other spiders: eight species are listed for West Virginia, with 50 records (7% of the state's spider records). The most recorded is Hypochilus gertschi (44), ahead of Dysdera crocata (2).
Related species: Agroeca pratensis
Most licensed records of Hypochilus gertschi in West Virginia come from Fayette County, McDowell County and Mercer County.
Where in West Virginia are spiders recorded most?
Hampshire County leads with 106 records (14%), followed by Monongalia County and Randolph County; the top five counties hold 49% of the total. 47 of West Virginia's 55 counties have at least one licensed spider record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hampshire County | 106 | 14.0% |
| 2 | Monongalia County | 88 | 11.6% |
| 3 | Randolph County | 68 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Gilmer County | 66 | 8.7% |
| 5 | Hardy County | 47 | 6.2% |
| 6 | Jefferson County | 44 | 5.8% |
| 7 | Fayette County | 34 | 4.5% |
| 8 | Tucker County | 33 | 4.4% |
| 9 | Preston County | 25 | 3.3% |
| 10 | Mercer County | 23 | 3.0% |
| 11 | Upshur County | 19 | 2.5% |
| 12 | Berkeley County | 16 | 2.1% |
When do spiders come out in West Virginia?
Observation records of spiders in West Virginia run mostly April through October, peaking in June with 21% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so spiders in West Virginia 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% | 3% | 5% | 15% | 21% | 15% | 16% | 14% | 9% | 2% | 1% |
Spiders: West Virginia compared with its neighbors
West Virginia ranks 36th of 50 states by the number of spider species listed; Texas leads with 386 species.
Every state bordering West Virginia lists more spider species (West Virginia: 90 species; Ohio 332, Virginia 176, Pennsylvania 164, Maryland 153, Kentucky 103).
What spiders are in West Virginia? All 90 species
Ranked by licensed records in West Virginia. The table shows the 60 most recorded of 90 listed spiders.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | Tetragnathidae | 59 | 7.8% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | Salticidae | 48 | 6.3% |
| 3 | Hypochilus gertschi | Hypochilidae | 44 | 5.8% |
| 4 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | Araneidae | 31 | 4.1% |
| 5 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | Pisauridae | 26 | 3.4% |
| 6 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | Araneidae | 25 | 3.3% |
| 7 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | Araneidae | 22 | 2.9% |
| 8 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | Araneidae | 20 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | Salticidae | 20 | 2.6% |
| 10 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | Pisauridae | 19 | 2.5% |
| 11 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | Salticidae | 18 | 2.4% |
| 12 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | Araneidae | 18 | 2.4% |
| 13 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | Salticidae | 16 | 2.1% |
| 14 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | Pisauridae | 16 | 2.1% |
| 15 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | Araneidae | 14 | 1.8% |
| 16 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | Gnaphosidae | 14 | 1.8% |
| 17 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | Lycosidae | 12 | 1.6% |
| 18 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | Araneidae | 10 | 1.3% |
| 19 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | Salticidae | 10 | 1.3% |
| 20 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | Pisauridae | 10 | 1.3% |
| 21 | Paraphidippus aurantius | Salticidae | 9 | 1.2% |
| 22 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | Thomisidae | 8 | 1.1% |
| 23 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | Thomisidae | 7 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Hammerjawed jumper Zygoballus rufipes | Salticidae | 7 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | Lycosidae | 7 | 0.9% |
| 26 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | Salticidae | 7 | 0.9% |
| 27 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | Salticidae | 6 | 0.8% |
| 28 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | Araneidae | 6 | 0.8% |
| 29 | Woodland giant wolf spider Tigrosa aspersa | Lycosidae | 6 | 0.8% |
| 30 | Canopy jumping spider Phidippus otiosus | Salticidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 31 | Eastern cave long-jawed spider Meta ovalis | Tetragnathidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 32 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | Salticidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 33 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | Araneidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 34 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | Salticidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 35 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | Salticidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 36 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | Theridiidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 37 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | Thomisidae | 5 | 0.7% |
| 38 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | Agelenidae | 4 | 0.5% |
| 39 | Whitman's jumping spider Phidippus whitmani | Salticidae | 4 | 0.5% |
| 40 | Banded fishing spider Dolomedes vittatus | Pisauridae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 41 | Habronattus decorus | Salticidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 42 | Nordmann's orbweaver spider Araneus nordmanni | Araneidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 43 | Northern black widow venomous Latrodectus variolus | Theridiidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 44 | Pisaurina dubia | Pisauridae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 45 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | Pisauridae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 46 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | Salticidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 47 | White micrathena Micrathena mitrata | Araneidae | 3 | 0.4% |
| 48 | Arrowshaped micrathena Micrathena sagittata | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 49 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | Linyphiidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Cone-shaped orbweaver Cyclosa conica | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 51 | Cyclosa turbinata | Araneidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 52 | Dotted wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata | Lycosidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 53 | Dysdera crocata | Dysderidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 54 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | Pholcidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 55 | Two-lined stealthy ground spider Cesonia bilineata | Gnaphosidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 56 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | Salticidae | 2 | 0.3% |
| 57 | Black purse-web spider Sphodros niger | Atypidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 58 | Blacktailed red sheetweaver Florinda coccinea | Linyphiidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 59 | Bridge orbweaver Larinioides sclopetarius | Araneidae | 1 | 0.1% |
| 60 | Butterfly orbweaver Araneus pegnia | Araneidae | 1 | 0.1% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.