The Types of Spiders Indigenous to Texas

Texas is home to approximately 980 species of spiders. Some spiders tend to live outdoors along streams or in the grass, while other spiders prefer to live indoors in cracks and crevices of buildings. Some spiders create cobwebs to catch prey, while other spiders like to surprise their prey by attacking them. When in Texas, you are likely to see a variety of indoor and outdoor indigenous spiders with diverse shapes, colors and sizes.

  1. Venomous Spiders

    • Texas has numerous types of red and black spiders. For example, the southern black widow -- which some people refer to as simply the black widow -- belongs to the mactans species. This type of spider -- which measures from .12 to .39-inches long -- is feared by people due to its venomous bite. The female southern black widow has a shiny black body with two red markings on the abdomen. However, the male black widow is longer than the female and has a brown body with white marks on the abdomen.

      Another venomous spider from Texas is the brown recluse, a member of the Sicariidae family. A brown recluse has a yellowish-brown color with a fiddle-shape pattern near the eyes. These spiders usually live in garages and basements. The brown recluse will hide in darkness near undisturbed locations among old towels and clothing. This type of spider builds cobwebs close to the ground. A brown recluse will rarely bite unless you provoke it. A person bitten by a brown recluse can suffer from severe illness or even death. An adult brown recluse measures about a half-inch in length.

    Hunting Spiders

    • Texas has numerous indigenous spiders that actively hunt for prey. Tarantulas are members of the mygalomorph family and look for their food. This hairy brownish-black spider measures about 3-inches long. However, unlike a male tarantula who has a nickel-size abdomen, the size of the abdomen of a female tarantula is approximately the size of a quarter. This type of spider hides beneath rocks, logs or other undisturbed areas during the daytime, but it hunts for prey in the nighttime. Tarantulas live to eat live insects like caterpillars and crickets, and need plenty of water.

      Another spider in Texas that actively hunts for prey is the Johnson jumping spider. This spider -- which belongs to the johnsoni species and measures from .28 to .51-inches long -- has brown and black legs with a hefty abdomen. Females have a black mark in the middle of the abdomen, while the male Johnson jumping spider's abdomen is red. Unlike the tarantula, a Johnson jumping spider hunts during daylight hours and takes refuge in the nighttime and winter season.

    Web Builders

    • Some indigenous Texas spiders build nests, while other spiders may build cobwebs. Some spiders -- like the funnel-web spider -- use a web to help catch their prey. A funnel-web spider -- also called a grass spider -- is brown and black with specks of ivory marks on it body. This type of spider -- which belongs to the Agelenopsis family -- measures from .59 to .79-inches long. It builds cave-like cobwebs and hides toward the back. Usually, these cobwebs are in lawns, short shrubs and along the edges of fences.

      Another spider that builds a web is the American house spider. Sometimes called the cobweb spider, it belongs to the tepidariorum species and measures from .24 to .79-inches long. American house spiders create cobwebs that resemble webs you might see in a Halloween haunted house. These cobwebs frequently appear in the corners of windows, walls and attics. This type of spider rarely will bother humans, but will bite if bothered.

    Passive Spiders

    • Texas is home to numerous spiders that do not look for their prey, but wait until their prey comes close to them. These spiders will ambush, attack or pounce on unexpected animals or insects. Such is the case for crab spiders, which resemble crabs when sitting and walking, and belong to the Thomisidae family. The goldenrod crab spider can blend into its surroundings. Females are either white or yellow without additional markings. However, the male has a yellow body with red spots on its abdomen. These spiders vary in length from .12 to .35-inches.

      Another passive crab spider is the ground crab spider. Measuring from .12 to .35-inches long, and appearing reddish-brown with black splotches, it enjoys sitting on leaves and flowers and pounces on its prey.