Search Results - Field Guide

Showing 1 - 10 of 21 results
Photo of a cellar spider in her cobweb with egg sac
Cellar Spiders
Pholcus, Psilochorus, and others in the Pholcid family
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.
Photo of a nursery web spider on a plant
Nursery Web Spiders
Pisaurina spp.
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.
Photo of a common house spider, egg sac, and web
Common House Spider
Parasteatoda tepidariorum (syn. Achaeranea tepidariorum)
You probably have at least a few common house spiders in your garage. Take heart: they are harmless and they eat many pest insects.
Photo of a Xysticus crab spider, tan individual
Ground Crab Spiders
Xysticus spp.
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.
Image of a female Argiope garden spider.
Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider
Argiope aurantia
The black-and-yellow garden spider is large but harmless. It sets up large, circular webs in gardens and grasslands. Lucky gardeners can host this remarkable pest exterminator all season long.
Photo of wolf spider with young
Wolf Spiders
Nearly 250 species in North America north of Mexico
A wolf spider doesn't spin webs to catch its prey — it runs it down like a wolf! Spiders in this family have long legs and are usually gray, brown, black, or tan with dark brown or black body markings (especially stripes).
Photo of a dotted wolf spider
Dotted Wolf Spider
Rabidosa punctulata
The dotted wolf spider has a solid brown stripe running down the middle of the abdomen, seen from above. Like other wolf spiders, females have strong maternal instincts, carrying their spiderlings around on their back until they can be on their own.
filmy dome spider
Filmy Dome Spider
Neriene radiata (formerly Prolinyphia marginata)
The filmy dome spider is one of the most abundant woodland spiders in Missouri. Although the spider is tiny, its snare web, which looks like an upside-down silk bowl, is conspicuous throughout the year.
Photo of wolf spider with young
Rabid Wolf Spider
Rabidosa rabida
The rabid wolf spider, despite its scary name, is harmless to people and is absolutely not rabid. It commonly hides in leaf litter and sometimes gets into houses.
Closeup of brown recluse spider on floor.
Brown Recluse (Violin Spider)
Loxosceles reclusa
The brown recluse is a spider whose venomous bite may be medically significant to humans, though a bite is almost never fatal. Brown recluses are most commonly encountered in houses, where they occupy little-used drawers, closets, and other small hiding spaces.