Where they are found in the world | Common name/species name | What they look like | Where they live |
Widows | |||
Southeastern United States (Maryland, Southern Ohio and lower states) | Southern black widow L. mactans | Shiny black spider with some form of red on body | Clutter around homes, gardens, sheds, garages Rarely indoors |
Western half of the United States from Canada to Mexico | Western black widow L. hesperus | ||
New Zealand (coastal areas) Australia (coastal areas) Japan (Osaka prefecture) | Australian red back L. hasselti | Shiny black body with red stripe on back | |
South America | L. curacaviensis | ||
Mediterranean | Black hag, black wolf L. tredecimguttatus | 13 red dots on back of body, no red hourglass | |
Worldwide and in United States (from South Carolina to Texas and California) | Brown widow L. geometricus (can bite humans, but mild) | White stripes on a tan body with orange hourglass. Can vary a lot in color, from cream to almost black. | |
False black widows | |||
United States: Pacific coast and Colorado Canada: British Columbia Australia | False black widow S. grossa | Similar shape to widows Chocolate brown color with tan stripes or markings on body DO NOT have red markings | Clutter around homes Also indoors (in cupboards and other dark, quiet places) |
Europe | S. paykulliana S. grossa | ||
Recluses | |||
United States: Mid-west and Southern states extending westward | Brown recluse L. reclusa | Ordinary-looking brown spiders 3 pairs of eyes (6 total) Body and legs are the same color Legs have very fine hairs | Mostly inside homes: attics, basements, cupboards Outdoors: in rock piles and under tree bark, NOT in live plants |
Worldwide inside buildings | Mediterranean recluse L. rufescens | ||
South America (Brazil, Chile, others) | Chilean recluse L. laeta L. intermedia L. gaucho | ||
Isolated reports in South Africa, Australia | |||
Phoneutria | |||
South America | Brazilian wandering spider P. nigriventer P. keyserlingi P. fera | Large (almost 4-inch [95 millimeter] leg span) Very hairy | Might hide under household items during the day Found in cities in piles of clutter, trees and other plants, or garbage |
Australian funnel web | |||
Australia: Southeastern coastal regions (including Sydney and Brisbane) | Australian funnel web spider Atrax robustus 5 species of Hadronyche | Large spider (1-inch [25 millimeter] body) Shiny black body | Moist areas, such as basements |