Spiders Common to Florida

Nephila Clavipes- Golden Silk Orbweavers

• Nephila Clavipes, also know as the Golden Silk Orbweaver spiders, are amongst the largest non-tarantula like spiders in America. The orange and brown spiders are nonvenomous and are not considered to be harmful. They may bite if squeezed or pinched. The bite often stings and leaves a red mark. Golden Silk Orbweavers are commonly found in citrus groves, open woods and dense forest in Florida. Unsuspecting hikers, hunters and forest dwellers are at times caught off guard by the large, sticky webs they are known to leave on trees and low lying stubs.

Jumping Spiders

• The black and hairy jumping spider is commonly found in palm and palmetto trees, open woodlands and on the sides of many buildings in Florida. It is typically easy to identify jumping spiders due to their unique eye arrangement. The eyes on jumping spiders are situated in three rows. The first row has four eyes, the second row has two eyes and the third row also has two eyes. These harmless spiders do not spin webs, but are known to pounce on their prey.

Wolf Spiders

• Wolf Spiders are large non-web-spinning hairy spiders, often found on the ground or crawling on walls inside or outside of many houses in Florida. Over 2,000 species of the wolf spider are known to scientist. Some wolf spiders can grow to be quite large, at times growing to the size of a hand. Despite the large size, wolf spiders are extremely fast and can effortlessly capture its prey. The female wolf spider carries her egg sack on her body, making her easy to identify.

Green Lynx Spider

• The green lynx spider has a distinguishing bright green almost translucent body. The green lynx commonly found in Florida is the largest of the the North American lynx spiders. It is often found on shrubs, weeds and foliage seeking out it's prey. This arachnid is noted as a predator of insects that cause damage to crops. The green lynx is not able to cast a web, but has outstanding leaping ability and will pounce on its prey.

Other spiders common to Florida

• A few other spiders commonly found in the state of Florida are crab spiders, spiny orb-weavers, and black and yellow argiopes. The crab spider is a non-web-spinning arachnid with legs formed similar to a crab. The spiny orb-weaver can easily be spotted around Florida due to its colorful body. The black, white and red spiders spins webs containing silk. The black and yellow argiope spider is one of the larger spiders found in Florida. The large webs made by the black and yellow argiope spiders can be found on the edges of the woodlands.