Search Results - Field Guide

Showing 1 - 10 of 59 results
Media
Photo of a spotted fishing spider perched on the water's surface amid floating duckweed plants
Species Types
Scientific Name
Dolomedes spp., Tetragnatha spp., and others
Description
A variety of spiders are adapted for live on and around water. Many of these are called fishing spiders. Several have the ability to run across the water’s surface. Some build webs, others do not.
Media
Photo of a cellar spider in her cobweb with egg sac
Species Types
Scientific Name
Pholcus, Psilochorus, and others in the Pholcid family
Description
Cellar spiders look wispy with their incredibly long, thin legs and habit of bouncing rapidly in their cobwebs when disturbed, which turns them into a blur. Some species are very common in homes.
Media
Photo of grass spider poised in funnel of her web
Species Types
Scientific Name
Agelenopsis spp.
Description
The funnel-shaped web of grass spiders is more often noticed than the spider itself. It is sheetlike, usually positioned horizontally, with a funnel leading downward to a shelter (a rock crevice or dense vegetation) where the spider hides, waiting for prey.
Media
Photo of a nursery web spider on a plant
Species Types
Scientific Name
Pisaurina spp.
Description
Nursery web spiders build silken tents in plants to protect their egg sacs, then stand guard until the hatchlings are ready to disperse. Large and velvety, nursery web spiders have long legs and variable color patterns.
Media
Photo of a common house spider, egg sac, and web
Species Types
Scientific Name
Parasteatoda tepidariorum (syn. Achaeranea tepidariorum)
Description
You probably have at least a few common house spiders in your garage. Take heart: they are harmless and they eat many pest insects.
Media
Photo of a green crab spider on a leaf
Species Types
Scientific Name
Misumessus oblongus (formerly Misumenops oblonga)
Description
The green crab spider has spines, and the entire body and legs are pale green to silvery white. Like other crab spiders, its legs extend outward from the sides, and it can walk in any direction.
Media
Photo of a Xysticus crab spider, tan individual
Species Types
Scientific Name
Xysticus spp.
Description
Missouri has several species of ground crab spiders in the genus Xysticus. They are usually dull gray or brown with brown, white, or yellow markings. They typically live under bark or on the ground in leaf litter.
Media
Photo of a goldenrod crab spider, whitish individual, on native aster flower
Species Types
Scientific Name
Misumena vatia
Description
The goldenrod crab spider can change color from white to yellow, depending upon the blossom it's in. The female often has an orange or reddish stripe running along each side of the abdomen, extending from the front to about halfway down the side.
Media
Photo of a spotted fishing spider and several water springtails at the surface of shallow water
Species Types
Scientific Name
Dolomedes triton
Description
The spotted fishing spider lives around ponds, slow-moving streams, swampy areas, and other damp places. It can run across the surface of water much like water striders and will dive for prey, including small tadpoles or aquatic insects.
Media
Photo of a whitebanded crab spider, yellow individual, on ox-eye daisy flower
Species Types
Scientific Name
Misumenoides formosipes
Description
The whitebanded crab spider is a small, whitish-yellow or yellowish-brown crab spider commonly found in flower heads. Often its carapace is slightly greenish, with a broad whitish-yellow midband bordered by darker, thinner sides of yellowish brown.