Spiders
Spiders have been the subject of negative publicity for years. Their secretive nature, way of moving, and predatory nature make them common villains in folklore and popular media. Fear of a few highly venomous spiders, such as black widow and brown recluse spiders, has expanded to include all spiders. Fortunately, black widows (Southern Black Widows) and brown recluse spiders are not native to Maine. Spiders can be considered to be beneficial when they feed on household and garden insect pests. It is unfortunate that many incidents of unknown skin irritation are attributed to spider bites. People do sometimes get bitten, however, and the sensitivity to a spider bite varies from person to person. In rare cases, some individuals with highly sensitive or weakened immune systems may have a significant or even severe reaction to a bite from an otherwise harmless spider, and there are many spiders that people mistakenly suspect to be the Brown Recluse. Misdiagnoses are thus very common. See also: University of California Riverside’s Causes of Necrotic Wounds other than Brown Recluse Spider Bites
Photos of Some Spiders that are found in Maine:
- Arrowshaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata) (near Lower Kimball Pond in Fryeburg, ME; 9/4/2023) (Photo courtesy of Ryan Day)
- Banded Argiope / Banded Garden Spider (dorsal view) (Dennysville, ME; 9/17/2010)
- Banded Argiope / Banded Garden Spider (ventral view) (Dennysville, ME; 9/17/2010)
- Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica) (was found indoors; Passadumkeag, ME; 8/11/2023)
- Barn Funnel Weaver (a closer view of the adjacent specimen)
- Garden Spider (Black and Yellow Garden Spider / Golden Garden Spider / Writing Spider / Corn Spider) (in a cranberry patch; 8/31/2011)
- Black and Yellow Garden Spider with her egg sac
- Boreal Combfoot (Steatoda borealis) (female) (Members of the Steatoda genus are called “False Widow” spiders)
- Boreal Combfoot (Steatoda borealis) (female) (Found inside a house; Etna, ME; 4/23/2021)
- Cellar Spider (female with egg sac)
- Cellar Spider (Old Town, ME: 7/23/2022)
- Cellar Spider
- Crab Spider (Family: Thomisdae)
- Crab Spider
- Cross Orbweaver spiderlings (newly hatched) (Sedgwick, Maine; 6/2/2021) (Photo courtesy of David J. Snyder)
- Cross Orbweaver spiderlings (newly hatched) (Sedgwick, Maine; 6/2/2021) (Photo courtesy of David J. Snyder)
- Cross Orbweaver (Glenburn, ME; 8/5/2020) (photo courtesy of Samantha K.)
- Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus) (Etna, ME; 3/21/2019)
- Another species/example of a Fishing Spider (either Dolomedes scriptus or Dolomedes tenebrosus)
- Another species/example of a Fishing Spider
- Eastern Parson Spider
- Eastern Parson Spider (photo courtesy of Jon McCann)
- Filmy Dome Spider (Neriene radiata) (Etna, ME; 8/2/2009)
- Funnel Weaver perched near the entrance to its webbed funnel
- Funnel Weaver (possibly in the genus Agelenopsis — Grass Spiders) (August 28th, 2017; Etna, Maine)
- Funnel Weaver (Family Agelenidae)
- Funnel Weaver (Family Agelenidae)
- Giant Lichen Orbweaver (Araneus bicentenarius) (Stetson, ME; 6/7/2023)
- Giant Lichen Orbweaver (Araneus bicentenarius) (Stetson, ME; 7/8/2009; resting on the frame of a screen door)
- Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) (feasting on a fly while perched on the inflorescence of a Queen Anne’s Lace plant)
- Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) on a red clover flower
- A species of Jumping Spider (Habronattus decorus) (Warren, ME; 7/21/2020) (size: roughly 8-10 mm)
- A species of Jumping Spider (Habronattus decorus) (Troy, ME; 6/18/2008) (size: roughly 8-10 mm)
- Jumping Spider
- Jumping Spider
- Jumping Spider
-
Nursery Web Spider
(very similar to Wolf Spiders)
- Nursery Web Spider
- Sixspotted Orbweaver (female) (Araniella displicata) (Troy, ME; 7/2/2009)
- Sixspotted Orbweaver (female) (Araniella displicata) (Troy, ME; 7/2/2009) (lateral view of the adjacent specimen)
- Starbellied Orbweaver (Acanthepeira stellata) (Howland, ME; 6/29/2023) (Photo courtesy of Paula S.)
- Twobanded Antmimic (female) (Castianeira cingulata) (Stetson, ME; 6/1/2012)
- Tiger Wolf Spider female (with egg sac) (Tigrosa aspersa)
- Tiger Wolf Spider (female) (Tigrosa aspersa) on the side of a horse barn (Buxton, ME; 10/24/2023) (Photo courtesy of Kelly Weymouth)
- Tiger Wolf Spider (female) (Tigrosa aspersa) (closer view of adjacent specimen) (Buxton, ME; 10/24/2023) (Photo courtesy of Kelly Weymouth)
- Wolf Spider (Hogna frondicola) (Old Town, ME; 4/24/2022) (Photo credit: courtesy of Edward S. Grew)
- Wolf Spider
- Wolf Spider (with egg sac)
- Example of a Spider Beetle (Spider Beetles are small beetles that superficially resemble spiders but are harmless)
One can find additional spider images at BugGuide.net
Additional Information Regarding Specific Spiders:
- Arrowshaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata) (BugGuide.net)
- Banded Argiope (Argiope trifasciata) (BugGuide.net) | Banded Garden Spider (Penn State) |
- Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica) (Penn State) | Barn Funnel Weaver (BugGuide.net)
- Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) (Penn State) | Black and Yellow Argiope (BugGuide.net)
- Boreal Combfoot (Steatoda borealis) (BugGuide.net) (spiders in this genus are known as “False Widows“) (Family: Theridiidae); See also: False Black Widow Spider (Penn State)
- Cellar Spiders / Longbodied Cellar Spiders
- Crab Spiders (BugGuide.net) (Family: Thomisdae)
- Goldenrod Crab Spider (BugGuide.net)
- Cross Orbweaver / Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) (BugGuide.net)
- Eastern Parson Spider (Penn State)
- False Black Widow Spider (Penn State)
- Filmy Dome Spider (a type of sheetweb spider) (BugGuide.net)
- Fishing Spiders
- Funnel Weavers (Family: Agelenidae) (BugGuide.net)
- Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica) (Penn State)
- Grass Spiders (genus Agelenopsis) (Penn State)
- Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) (Penn State)
- Giant Lichen Orbweaver (BugGuide.net)
- Grass Spiders (genus Agelenopsis) (Penn State)
- Hacklemesh Weaver Spiders (Penn State)
- Jumping Spiders (University of Arizona)
- Habronattus decorus (BugGuide.net)
- Marbled Orbweaver (Penn State)
- Nursery-Web & Fishing Spiders (Family: Pisauridae) (University of Kentucky)
- Sixspotted Orbweaver (BugGuide.net)
- Starbellied Orbweaver (BugGuide.net)
- Twobanded Antmimic (BugGuide.net)
- Wolf Spiders (Penn State)
- Hogna frondicola (BugGuide.net)
- Tiger Wolf Spider (Tigrosa aspersa) (BugGuide.net)
Not Native To Maine or Rarely Found In Maine:
Black Widow / Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans) (Cornell) — Non-native, but sometimes hitches a ride into Maine via packages, cargo, etc.–most often via shipments of produce from out-of-state; See also: False Black Widow Spider — a genus of spiders that we do have in Maine! (Penn State)
- Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus) — This spider may be an infrequent inhabitant as far north as central Maine and southern portions of Canada. The red hourglass pattern on the Northern Black Widow has a gap between the top and bottom halves of the hourglass.
- Northern Black Widow (Michigan State University)
- Northern Black Widow (BugGuide.net)
- Photo of a Female (ventral view): Northern Black Widow (Smithsonian)
- Photo example from Canton, Massachusetts of the dorsal pattern: Northern Black Widow (BugGuide.net)
- Brown Recluse (Penn State) (Non-native, and thus extremely rare in Maine–an encounter is only possible if a specimen is brought in from out-of-state) (US Distribution Map for Brown Recluse)
- Hobo Spider (also known as the Aggressive House Spider) (UC-Davis)