Items15The creator’s order
  1. 1Pholcus phalangioidesPholcus phalangioidesA long-bodied cellar spider has extremely fine legs and a small, narrow body. Look for it hanging upside down in a loose web in a cellar or ceiling corner. If disturbed, it can whirl in the web fast enough to blur. The web helps distinguish it from other long-legged animals around homes.0
  2. 2Zebra spiderZebra spiderAt a sunny window, look for a little black-and-white spider that pauses, turns, and hops. The light bands resemble zebra stripes and the two large front-facing eyes are conspicuous in a close photo. It stalks insects instead of catching them in a web.0
  3. 3Parasteatoda tepidariorumParasteatoda tepidariorumThe American common house spider has a mottled, rounded abdomen. Look for it in a loose tangle at a window or in a sheltered corner. Brown, papery egg sacs may hang in the web and are often easier to spot than the small spider beside them.0
  4. 4Eratigena atricaEratigena atricaA big brown runner with long legs can look startling on the floor or in the bathtub. A sheet web with a funnel can point to the giant house spider group. Eratigena atrica, pictured here, occurs in only a few areas of Britain. Several related species look so much alike that an ordinary photo usually…0
  5. 5Tegenaria domesticaTegenaria domesticaThe barn funnel weaver builds a flat sheet of silk with a tunnel at one edge, often along a wall or in another sheltered spot. This spider often has faint bands on its legs. That can help distinguish it from the larger giant house spider group, although a clear photo of the body has more value than…0
  6. 6Steatoda grossaSteatoda grossaThe cupboard spider is one of the false widows, with a rounded abdomen that may look nearly plain dark brown in an adult female. Younger spiders can show pale markings. It makes an irregular web in sheltered spots. A dark round abdomen alone isn’t enough to call a spider a black widow.0
  7. 7Steatoda nobilisSteatoda nobilisIn Britain, the noble false widow often has a pale marbled pattern on a dark, bulbous abdomen. The pattern varies, so the outline and where you found it matter too. Leave the spider undisturbed when taking a photo. The British Arachnological Society describes bites as uncommon.0
  8. 8Triangulate cobweb spiderTriangulate cobweb spiderLook for a line of dark triangular marks on a lighter abdomen. The markings help separate this small indoor cobweb spider from a plain-colored adult cupboard spider. The web itself is an irregular tangle, so look at the spider’s pattern when both species seem plausible.0
  9. 9Amaurobius similisAmaurobius similisCheck the silk around a window frame or crevice. British lace-weavers can leave a rather woolly sheet with a bluish cast when fresh. Amaurobius similis often lives on buildings, but it closely resembles the window lace-weaver Amaurobius fenestralis. Matching the web can get you to the group first.0
  10. 10Scotophaeus blackwalliScotophaeus blackwalliThis British mouse spider has a grayish, velvety abdomen. It hunts at night, so it can turn up running across a floor without an obvious capture web nearby. The scientific name matters here, since the same English name is also used for a very different group of Australian spiders.0