Arizona Naturalists >>> Sonoran Desert Naturalist >>> Field Guide >>> Spiders, Scorpions, other Arachnids

Sonoran Desert Arachnida

Most arachnids have eight legs and one or two main body segments. The head and thorax are broadly united into a cephalothorax. Mouthparts are chelicerae (fangs) which generally permit only liquefied food. Many species in the Sonoran Desert ... only a few are depicted here.

Funnel Spider Agelenopsis Medium to large sized spiders that use a trampoline-like sheet web with a distinct funnel retreat in one corner. Several common species. More info	Desert Tarantula Aphonopelma sp. Giant hairy spiders emerging from hidden burrows in late summer. Found walking along roads and washes. More info	Giant Crab Spider Olios fasciculatus Large wandering spiders that can climb walls and ceilings. Long legs and small eyes. No web. More info	Fishing Spider Dolomedes triton Robust spiders with long legs and without a web. Dives into shallow pools to capture small fish and aquatic insects. Remains near water. More info	Littoral Wolf Spider Arctosa Cursorial (running) spiders that hunt on moist sand along flowing desert canyon bottoms. More info
Green Lynx Peucetia viridens Large, mostly greenish spiders that hunt on and near flowers without a web. More info	Crab Spider Mecaphesa Small to medium sized sit-and-wait predators often on flowers. No snaring web. Crawls sideways. More info	Lynx Spider Hamataliwa sp. Cryptic brown or gray spiders that hunt on trees or shrub bark without a web. First two pair of legs rotated slightly to face forward. More info	Phidippus Jumping Spider Phidippus californicus Active, diurnal spiders that jump after prey. Base color black and marked with red or salmon. More info	Jumping Spider Metaphidippus Off-white marked with black looking like salt and pepper. Roams during day on vegetation. More info
Jumping Spider Habronatus sp. Gray jumper hunting on stucco wall in urban Phoenix. The females much drabber than males. More info	Jumping Spider Colonus sp. Active, diurnal spiders that do not use a web for prey capture. Instead use stealth and good vision to hunt prey. More info	Long-jawed Orb Weaver Tetragnatha sp. Orb webs suspended above or very close to water. Males have long jaws. Hides length-wise on grass blades. More info

Dictyna Dictyna sp. Small spiders that inhabit dense, tangled webs in the foliage of shrubs. More info	Bowl and Doily Weaver Frontinella communis The basket-shaped web of this spider is a common sight through much of North America. More info	Sheet Web Spider Linyphiidae Small spiders that build delicate sheets of silken web often directly on the soil More info	Tangled Web Spider Steatoda? sp. This small spider has its small web suspended below a spine cluster on a cactus. More info	Western Black Widow Latrodectus mactans These spiders have potent venom, but the fangs are so small that bites are rare. Strictly nocturnal. More info
Tarantula Aphonopelma sp. Other, smaller tarantula species are found in the Sonoran Desert. More info	Wolf Spider Hogna sp. Large spiders that hunt at night by roaming around ground surface. Four large eyes. Rarely climb walls/houses. More info	Long-legged Wolf Spider Pardosa sp. Fast-running spiders normally restricted to moist areas near riparian habitats. Hunts without a web. More info	Southern House Spider Kukulcania hibernalis Normally lives within a silken tunnel in a crevice around dwellings. Males have longer legs and leave webs to search for mates. More info	Long-legged Sac Spider Cheiracanthium Fast moving spiders that hunt on vegetation at night and hide in a silken retreat by day. More info
Orb Weaver Metepeira sp. By day the spider hides among a group of leaves. Circlar web is constructed at night and taken down in the morning. More info	Banded Garden Spider Argiope trifasciata Large orb-weaving spider. Abdomen tapered to point. Bands on abdomen may be obscure. Riparian/agricultural areas mostly. More info	Cactus Sheet Web Spider Diguetia albolineata Odd-shaped spider hides among a group of leaves tied together at center of irregular web. More info	Wall Spider Oecobius spp. Small spiders common inside dwelling. Makes small quarter-sized webs in corners and textures. Other similar species on shady walls and rock faces. More info
Stripe-tailed Scorpion Vaejovis spinigerus Common scorpion found beneath rocks near washes and on mountain slopes. Painful but not dangerous sting. More info	Giant Hair Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis Largest scorpion in the Sonoran Desert. 'Hairs' require magnification to see. More info	Arizona Bark Scorpion Centruroides sculpturatus Most common scorpion found in and around dwellings in the Sonoran Desert. More info	Sun Spider Eremobates sp. Fast running and nocturnal. Pinchers in front but no sting. Harmless except for their small prey. More info	Scorpion Myths Debunked by Matt Ellerbeck
Desert Harvestman Eurybunus ? Head and abdomen fused. Long slender legs with black and white rings. Body wine-colored. Wanders at dusk and dawn. No web. More info	Harvestman Sclerosomatidae ? Strictly nocturnal, with long legs and not using a web of any kind. Scavengers? More info	Red Velvet Mite Dinothrombium After summer rains these bizzare creatures emerge from underground crawling slowly about on the soil. More info	Pavement Mite Balaustium sp. Small, bright red mites that run impossibly fast over sidewalks and foliage. More info	Gall Mite Eriophyidae Minute to microscopic mites living within plant tissue and causing blister-like galls. More info

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