Identifying Spiders in Rhode Island

Southern Black Widow (0.12 Inches to 0.39 Inches)

• Of all spiders found in Rhode Island, the southern black widow poses the greatest risk to humans. Males are smaller but have longer legs. Their bodies are brown, with white markings on their abdomens. Females are shiny and black, with a red hourglass-shaped marking on their abdomens. The bite of males is not poisonous, but the bite of a female can be lethal if not treated immediately by medical professionals. These spiders tend to shy away from interaction with humans.

Non-Poisonous and Under 0.25 Inches

• The arrowhead orb weaver is unusual looking, with a triangular abdomen, and prefers the shade of a dense forest. The bowl and doily weaver is brown and found in heavily wooded forests. It creates a two-part web: a bowl shape resting on a flat, lace doily-like section. The brown comb-clawed spider is named for combs on its feet; it also provided the inspiration for Spiderman's web-slinging abilities. Primarily brown, the triangulate cob web spider prefers dark corners. The colorful Venusta orchard spider can be a combination of green, teal, silver, red, black, white, yellow and brown. They create horizontal webs from which they hang upside down.

Non-Poisonous and Under 0.5 Inches

• The red-and-yellow arrow-shaped micrathena spider's abdomen splits into two triangles at the bottom. It is found in lightly and densely forested areas. The goldenrod crab spider is yellow but can alter its color to suit its surroundings like a chameleon. Web-less, they opt to ambush prey. The brown long-bodied cellar spider, or daddy long legs, bounces its web to appear blurry to predators. With a black body and red legs, the running spider hunts with speed, not a web. The six-spotted orbweaver has six spots on its abdomen. It prefers bushes and tall grass. A mixture of black and white, spined micrathena spiders live on dense forest floors. The tuft-legged orb weaver is brown and creates vertical webs in shrubs and forest undergrowth.

Non-Poisonous and Under 0.75 Inches

• The marbled orb weaver has an intricate pattern on its yellow abdomen, resembling marble. Preferring areas near water, it hides in leaves around the edge of its circular web. Females are twice the size of males. The hairy, nocturnal spotted orb weaver creates large webs, up to two feet in diameter, in forests. Another web-less spider, the tan jumping spider leaps relatively large distances when hunting. During winter, it hibernates in groups. It will bite if threatened and is prone to exploring humans and their surroundings.

Non-Poisonous and Under 1 Inch

• The brown American house spider creates the classic Halloween cobweb, often in attics and windows. It plays dead when threatened. Another brown spider, the funnel-web spider creates deep, cavernous funnels. Grass spiders are brown, fast and build funnel-shaped webs. The brown ground crab spider looks like a crab when it walks and ambushes prey from atop flowers and leaves. Predominantly orange and black, orb weavers have long legs and reside in grasslands and buildings. A signal line tells of vibrations in their webs, and they provide excellent mosquito control. Wolf spiders are brown, large and bulky. Their fangs are large, making their bite painful. They prefer hiding in undisturbed places.

Non-Poisonous and Over 1 Inch

• Common garden spiders are predominantly black and yellow in color, with some traces of silver, red, orange and brown. They are often found in gardens and wooded areas, and females can be up to four times larger than males. Brown and black, with hints of orange, the labyrinthine orb weaver spider creates starburst-like webs and sometimes an adjacent orb-shaped web as well. They often use debris, such as leaves, to conceal themselves and their webs.