American House Spider

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The spindly-legged and very common American House Spider has an iconic spider shape and its messy cobweb is a silver-screen standard.

American House Spider Videos

An American House Spider wrapping its live prey in spider silk

American House Spiders in a courtship ritual

The webs created by American House Spiders are classic Halloween webs: tangled messes in all corners of the attic or windows. This type of web is called a cobweb. It is not uncommon for multiple females to have their webs in close proximity to one another. The presence of this spider adds a spooky atmosphere to old or abandoned buildings and homes.

The American House Spider is a Comb-Footed spider. It has long, skinny legs and comb-like hairs on the back tarsi ('ankles'). They fling strings of their spider silk at insects that get entangled in their web, furthering their entanglement. The victim is then bitten, injected with venom and eaten at a later time. It is moved from the web to allow other prey to fall into the trap. This spider can remain still for extremely long periods of time, waiting for prey and often avoiding notice from humans as well as insects.

They have a bulbous abdomen, neither spherical nor flat. Its brown coloring is speckled with white and dark patches and lines. This spider is small and inconspicuous, rarely bothering humans. They are not aggressive. They may opt to 'play dead' if threatened. If handled roughly though, they may bite, which can be painful for a day or so. Their venom is not lethal to humans unlike their close relative, the Black Widow.

Smaller males approach a female's web when ready to mate. A courtship 'dance' or ritual follows, ensuring the spiders do not attack each other. Females lay eggs in a pear-shaped, brown, papery egg case and hang it from the web. Mothers guard their eggs until they hatch and can live fore more than a year. Spiderlings may remain in the safety of their mother's web for a few days, but eventually disperse to find their own home.

American House Spiders are ubiquitous and help control insect populations. Look for them in corners on the floor or ceiling indoors and under eaves and overhangs outside. Or don't look for them, and allow these roommates to clean house for you.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida

Order: Araneae

Family: Theridiidae

Genus: Parasteatoda

Species: tepidariorum

Identifying Information

Scientific Name: Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Other Name(s): Cobweb Spider, House Spider, Domestic Spider

Category: Spider

Size (Adult; Length): 4mm to 6mm (0.16in to 0.23in)

Colors: brown; tan; black, white

Descriptors: mottled, speckled, biting, venomous

Territorial Map

Alaska

Hawaii

Prince Edward Is.

Canadian territory of British Columbia graphic

Canadian territory of New Brunswick graphic

Canadian territory of Newfoundland and Labrador graphic

Canadian territory of Saskatchewan graphic

Territory map graphic of the country of Mexico

Contiguous United States shape map layer graphic

Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Newfoundland and Labrador

Mexico

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

Spider Anatomy

Legs: Spiders have four pairs of legs and these are attached to the cephalothorax.

Pedipalps: Small appendages near the mouth used as taste and smell organs.

Cephalothorax: Contains eyes, head, mouthparts, and legs.

Abdomen: Contains various organs related to digestion, reproduction, and web-making.

Spinnerets: Used in the production of spider silk for fashioning webs or catching prey.

NOTE: Unlike insects, spiders have both an endoskeleton (internal) and exoskeleton (external).

American House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)

The spindly-legged and very common American House Spider has an iconic spider shape and its messy cobweb is a silver-screen standard.

American House Spider Videos