Oklahoma Spider ID Guide: 32 Common Spiders With Photos

Most spiders you find in and around an Oklahoma home are harmless, and many of them are doing you a favor by eating the insects you would rather not have. Only two spiders in the state are considered dangerous to people: the brown recluse and the black widow. This guide shows you how to tell those two apart from the 30 other spiders Oklahomans run into most, with a photo of each one, and when it is time to call a spider exterminator.

Emtec Pest Control has been identifying and removing spiders from homes and businesses in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Stillwater and the towns around them since 1979. These are the spiders our technicians see.

The two Oklahoma spiders that matter

If you only learn two spiders, learn these. Oklahoma State University Extension describes them this way:

	Brown recluse	Black widow
Color	Light tan to dark brown, no stripes or bands	Glossy black; never hairy
The mark	Dark violin shape behind the eyes, neck of the violin pointing back	Reddish hourglass on the underside of the belly
Eyes	Six, in three pairs (most spiders have eight)	Eight, in two rows
Size	About half an inch of body	About 1.5 inches across with legs extended (female)
Where	Closets, boxes, shoes, clothing, attics, under furniture	Woodpiles, under eaves, trash cans, sheds, garages, utility boxes
The bite	Venom can kill skin tissue around the bite	Venom is a nerve toxin; pain can spread to the belly and chest

Both are shy and bite when they are pressed against skin, usually in a shoe, a glove, a pile of clothes or a box. If you think either one has bitten you, see a doctor. Our guides to the brown recluse and the black widow cover bites, first aid and getting rid of them.

Identify an Oklahoma spider by color

Most people search by what they saw. Start here, then jump to the species below.

What you saw	Most likely
Brown and hairy, running on the floor	Carolina wolf spider, rabid wolf spider, grass spider
Tan or brown, smooth, long thin legs	Brown recluse or a male southern house spider
Very large, brown, hairy, outdoors in fall	Oklahoma brown tarantula
Shiny black, round belly	Black widow
Fuzzy black with a white spot, jumps	Bold jumping spider
Black and yellow, big round web with a zigzag	Yellow garden spider
Bright green	Green lynx spider, orchard orbweaver
Orange, red or rust colored, in a round web	Spotted orbweaver, furrow orbweaver
Bright red and velvety	Cardinal jumping spider
White or yellow, sitting on a flower	White banded crab spider
Black and white with spines on its back	Spined micrathena
Small, brown and orange, in a messy web by a window	Triangulate combfoot

The dangerous two

Brown recluse

The brown recluse is the spider Oklahomans worry about most, and Oklahoma sits near the center of its range along with Kansas and Missouri. Look for a plain tan to brown spider with long, thin legs, a dark violin shape on the front part of the body, and six eyes arranged in pairs. The violin can be faint on young spiders, so the eyes are the surer sign if you can see them safely.

Recluses hide in places nobody disturbs: storage boxes, closets, wall voids, attics, crawlspaces and furniture that is rarely used. Bites usually happen when someone puts on a shoe or a piece of clothing that a spider has crawled into, or reaches into a box. Their venom can damage skin around the bite, so see a doctor if you think you have been bitten. Brown recluses are hard to control, and OSU Extension recommends a pest control firm for them. Read more in our brown recluse guide.

Black widow

The southern black widow lives in town and country across Oklahoma. The female is glossy black with a round belly and a red hourglass underneath. Males are smaller with light streaks on the abdomen, and young widows can be patterned with lighter spots or stripes, so do not rely on the hourglass alone.

Widows build messy, irregular webs low to the ground in woodpiles, under eaves, in sheds and garages, around trash cans and in utility boxes. Most bites happen when someone reaches into one of those spots or puts on a shoe or glove left outside. The bite often feels like a pin prick, followed by pain that can spread. Seek medical care for any suspected bite. See our black widow guide for symptoms and first aid.

Wolf spiders and other ground hunters

These spiders do not catch food in a web. They hunt on the ground, which is why you meet them running across a garage floor or along a baseboard. OSU Extension lists wolf spiders as no hazard to people.

Carolina wolf spider

The Carolina wolf spider is the largest wolf spider in North America and a common home intruder in Oklahoma, mostly in summer and fall. It is brownish black with slate-gray hair. Like all wolf spiders it has eight eyes: a row of four small ones low on the face, two large eyes above them, and two more on top of the head. Wolf spiders live in burrows, hunt crickets and grasshoppers at night, and come indoors only when they wander in. A bite is rare and feels about like a bee sting. You can usually trap one under a cup and carry it outside.

Rabid wolf spider

The name is scarier than the spider. "Rabid" refers to how fast and erratically it moves, not to rabies. It is a pale brown wolf spider with a dark stripe down the middle of its back, common in wooded areas and fields. It may come indoors to hunt but does not stay long, and its venom is not considered medically significant.

American nursery web spider

Nursery web spiders look like slimmer, longer wolf spiders. They are brown with a dark band and two rows of spots on the back. The name comes from the female, who carries her egg sac and then builds a silk "nursery" for her young and guards it. She may bite if you disturb the nest. You will find them near water, in tall grass and at the edge of woods.

Grass spider

If your lawn or shrubs are covered in flat sheets of silk with a funnel at one side on a dewy morning, those are grass spider webs. Grass spiders are brown with darker stripes and look a lot like wolf spiders. They wait in the funnel and dash out when something lands on the sheet. They are harmless, and they are the spider most often mistaken for a hobo spider in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma brown tarantula

Tarantulas are native here, and OSU Extension describes them as large, hairy and brown to black, more than three inches across. They live in burrows in grassland and are most often seen when males wander looking for mates in late summer and fall. A threatened tarantula rears up and shows its fangs, and it can flick barbed hairs off its abdomen that irritate skin and eyes. Its venom is not a concern for people. If one wanders into the garage, scoop it into a container and let it go in a field.

Jumping spiders

Jumping spiders are the small, fuzzy spiders that turn to look at you. Two huge front eyes give them sharp vision, and they hunt by stalking and pouncing rather than with a web. Before jumping, they attach a safety line of silk. OSU Extension calls them not hazardous and unlikely to bite unless handled. Oklahoma has dozens of kinds; these are the ones we see most.

Bold jumping spider

The most common jumping spider in North America and probably the spider Oklahomans see most often. It is black and fuzzy with a white or orange triangle spot on the abdomen, white bands on the legs, and mouthparts that shine metallic green or blue. You will find it on mailboxes, patio furniture, fences and window frames. It is harmless; a bite, if it happens at all, causes a small red bump. More about it in our house spiders guide.

Tan jumping spider

A flat, mottled gray and tan spider built for hiding under tree bark. It hangs out on fence posts, trees and siding and is curious enough to walk onto an open hand. It may bite if squeezed.

Dimorphic jumping spider

"Dimorphic" means two forms. Males of this species come in two looks, one black with pale legs and one tan with reddish legs, and they court females differently. Females are covered in short pale hair.

Flea jumping spider

A small gray and black jumper with some orange on its sides, found in tall grass and wooded areas. It can take prey larger than itself. A bite, which only happens if it is handled roughly, causes mild irritation.

Peppered jumping spider

Females are gray with a salt-and-pepper speckle. Males are bronze-brown with white markings behind the main eyes that look like a frown. Common in tall grass and at the edge of woods.

Golden jumping spider

Also called the emerald jumping spider for its metallic green shine. Males are dark; females are brown with orange details. Both have a line of hair down the back with white dots on either side. Usually on shrubs and leaves, and occasionally indoors chasing insects.

Brilliant jumping spider

A reddish-brown to yellow-brown jumper with a dark band down the back, common in old fields. It hangs on plants waiting for prey to pass below, then drops onto it.

Bronze jumping spider

Bronze tones with white bands on the head and body. Males and females look similar, with the female's markings fainter. Found all around homes and in the wild, and curious enough to climb onto a hand.

Putnam's jumping spider

A hairy jumper with tufts above the eyes and along the sides. It sometimes wanders indoors and is not dangerous.

Common Hentz jumping spider

Easy to spot by its long, dark red front legs, which it uses to grab and hold prey. The rest of the legs are yellow and the body is reddish brown with white bands and orange hair around the eyes. Lives in leaf litter and sometimes comes indoors. Its bite is mildly painful for a short time, but it usually jumps away instead.

Grayish jumping spider

Gray overall with a reddish tint on the back. Like other jumpers, it uses silk only for a shelter and a place to eat.

High eyelashed jumping spider

Gray with black markings and very hairy, with its longest hairs above the eyes like eyelashes. It bites only if provoked.

Cardinal jumping spider

The bright red, velvety spider people search for as "red spider Oklahoma." Dark legs make the red body stand out even more. It behaves like other jumpers and is harmless. Do not confuse it with the red velvet ant, which is a wingless wasp that does sting.

Hammer-jawed jumping spider

Yellow to dark brown with a large, squared head. Males have oversized jaws, which give the spider its name. Harmless unless handled.

Web builders

These spiders stay put and let the web do the work. Orb weavers build the classic round wheel. OSU Extension calls them generally harmless and beneficial, since their webs catch flying pests, though the webs are a nuisance on porches.

Spotted orbweaver

Tan to orange and red, with markings that vary from spider to spider. Spotted orbweavers build large round webs at night, often around porch lights where insects gather, and hide in a curled leaf at the edge of the web during the day. They are most noticeable from late summer into fall, rarely come indoors, and pose no risk.

Yellow garden spider

Oklahoma's showiest spider: a black and yellow abdomen, a silvery-white front half, and a big round web with a thick zigzag band of silk down the middle. Look for it near sunny gardens, tall plants and building eaves. Females are much larger than males and stay in one spot all season, taking down and rebuilding much of the web each day. It is not dangerous but may bite if grabbed.

Banded garden spider

A cousin of the yellow garden spider with banded legs and a body striped in yellow, white and brown. It hangs head-down in the center of a large round web with its legs held in pairs.

Orchard orbweaver

A small, jewel-like orb weaver with leaf-green legs and sides, a silver back streaked with black and brown, and spots of yellow, orange and red. It builds a tilted web in shrubs and along wooded edges and hangs upside down in the middle.

Furrow orbweaver

A big, round-bodied orb weaver that ranges from red to gray to black. It builds a fresh web each evening near water, low shrubs or grass and hides during the day.

Spined micrathena

The small, spiky black and white spider whose web you walk face-first into on a wooded trail in late summer. Females have a large white abdomen ringed with spines; males are smaller and smoother. Harmless.

Southern house spider

This is the spider most often mistaken for a brown recluse in Oklahoma. Males are tan with long legs and wander in search of females. Females are dark, velvety and rarely leave their webs, which are flat, woolly mats radiating out of cracks in brick, siding, window frames and barns. Southern house spiders are harmless and help limit other insects. If you are not sure which one you have, have it identified before you worry.

Triangulate combfoot

Also called the triangulate cobweb spider. A small brown to orange spider with yellow legs and a zigzag pattern of triangles on its back. It builds messy cobwebs in dusty corners and under windowsills and eats ants, ticks and other spiders. It seldom bites.

Ambush hunters

Green lynx spider

A bright, see-through green spider with spiny legs and chevron markings, found on shrubs, tall grass and flowers. It does not build a catching web; it waits on plants and grabs insects. Females guard their egg sacs closely and can change color to match their surroundings. Bites are rare and cause local pain and swelling.

Striped lynx spider

A small, green to brown lynx spider with stripes on its head and body, a diamond shape on its back and prominent dark spines on its legs. It hunts on low plants.

White banded crab spider

Crab spiders hold their front legs out to the side like a crab and wait on flowers for bees and flies. Females can shift between white and yellow to match the bloom. Males are smaller and golden with darker legs. Harmless.

Keeping spiders out of your home

Spiders follow food. The fewer insects you have, the fewer spiders you will see. These steps, drawn from OSU Extension's advice and our own work, make the biggest difference:

1. Cut down the other bugs. Preventing the insects spiders eat starves them out. That is the idea behind preventative pest control.
2. Clear clutter. Brown recluses love stacked boxes, piles of clothes and anything left undisturbed. Store items in sealed plastic bins, not cardboard.
3. Seal the gaps. Caulk cracks, repair screens and add weather stripping around doors and windows. Check again each season as houses settle.
4. Turn off extra outdoor lights. Lights draw moths and other insects, and the spiders follow.
5. Knock down webs and use sticky traps. Sweeping eaves and corners and setting glue traps along baseboards also shows you what kind of spider you have.

Our full guide to getting rid of spiders covers natural options and what professional treatment does.

When to call a spider exterminator

You do not need help for a wolf spider in the garage or a garden spider on the porch. Call a professional when:

• You find a brown recluse or black widow inside your home, or more than one of either outside.
• You are seeing spiders in the same rooms week after week, which means they are feeding and breeding there.
• You cannot tell what you have and someone in the house is very young, elderly or allergic.

Emtec Pest Control has been the spider exterminator Oklahoma families call since 1979. We inspect, identify what you have, treat the cracks, crevices and nesting spots where spiders live, remove webs and egg sacs, and deal with the insects that are feeding them. We serve Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Stillwater, Oklahoma City and Edmond. See our spider control service or contact us to schedule an inspection.