Insect identifier · Often confused insects
How to identify a Common house spider
Parasteatoda tepidariorum
· Also called american house spider, cobweb spider
People search “common house spider” because it looks like something that bites. Common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) does not bite or sting people. Also called american house spider, cobweb spider.
The spider in the basement corner is almost never a widow.
What does a common house spider look like?
Common house spider is Small, bulbous abdomen. Colors: brown, tan. Marks: Messy cobweb; Mottled bulbous abdomen; No red hourglass; Hangs upside down.
Common house spider is Small, bulbous abdomen. Colors: brown, tan. Marks: Messy cobweb; Mottled bulbous abdomen; No red hourglass; Hangs upside down.
Identification marks
- Messy cobweb
- Mottled bulbous abdomen
- No red hourglass
- Hangs upside down
Size: Small, bulbous abdomen
Colors: brown, tan
Where: indoor
Common house spider vs False widow
Messy cobweb, mottled brown, no hourglass = house spider. Shiny black and red hourglass = widow.
- False widow identification (Steatoda grossa)
- Southern black widow identification (Latrodectus mactans)
- Yellow sac spider identification (Cheiracanthium inclusum)
Range and season
Active year-round. Places: house, basement, eaves. The cobweb in the corner. Almost never bites. Not a widow.
Corners, basements, and eaves.
The cobweb in the corner. Almost never bites. Not a widow.
Year-round
Common questions
Do house spiders bite?
Rarely, and only if trapped against skin. Not a widow bite.
House spider vs black widow?
Widows are shiny black with a red hourglass. House spiders are mottled brown in a messy web.