Bugs With 8 Legs: Spiders, Ticks and Mites
Eight legs means an arachnid, not an insect. This guide covers 17 of them.
Quick list
How to narrow it down
Narrow it down with three quick checks. Count the legs: insects have six, spiders and ticks have eight, and centipedes and millipedes have many more. Check for wings, even folded ones. Then compare size against a coin: a US penny is 19 mm across. Our bug identifier tool does this filtering for you.
The 17 bugs
American Dog Tick
American Dog TickDermacentor variabilisA brown tick with ornate white-gray markings on its shield, common along trails, roadsides and grassy fields. It readily feeds on dogs and people.
Tell-tale sign: Brown body with silvery-white mottling on the shield. Risk: American dog ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.
Arizona Bark Scorpion
Arizona Bark ScorpionCentruroides sculpturatusA slender, light tan scorpion of the desert Southwest and the most venomous scorpion in North America. It climbs walls and ceilings and often hides in shoes, bedding and clothing.
Tell-tale sign: Thin, light yellowish-tan body and slender pincers. Risk: Bark scorpion stings cause severe pain and numbness and can be dangerous for young children and older adults; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 after a sting.
Black Widow Spider
Black Widow SpiderLatrodectus mactansA shiny black spider with a red hourglass on the underside of its round abdomen. It builds messy, tangled webs in woodpiles, sheds, meter boxes and outdoor furniture.
Tell-tale sign: Glossy black, globe-shaped abdomen. Risk: Females have venom that can cause severe muscle pain and cramps; seek medical care after a bite.
Blacklegged Tick
Blacklegged TickIxodes scapularisAlso called the deer tick, a small tick with a dark shield and, in adult females, a reddish-orange rear body. It waits on grass and brush to latch onto passing people and animals.
Tell-tale sign: Dark black legs and shield. Risk: Blacklegged ticks transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis; remove attached ticks promptly.
Brown Recluse Spider
Brown Recluse SpiderLoxosceles reclusaA tan to brown spider with a dark violin-shaped mark on its back and only six eyes. It hides in boxes, closets and unused clothing in the south-central US.
Tell-tale sign: Dark violin-shaped mark pointing toward the abdomen. Risk: Most bites are mild, but some cause a spreading wound that needs medical care.
Lone Star Tick
Lone Star TickAmblyomma americanumAn aggressive, reddish-brown tick of the Southeast and East; adult females have a single white spot on the back. All life stages bite people.
Tell-tale sign: Single white dot on the back of adult females. Risk: Lone star tick bites are linked to ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy.
Wolf Spider
Wolf SpiderLycosidae familyA large, hairy, fast-running spider that hunts on the ground instead of building webs. Females carry their egg sacs and then their spiderlings on their backs.
Tell-tale sign: Hairy brown or gray body with dark stripes. Risk: Wolf spiders can bite if handled, causing pain and swelling like a bee sting, but they're not dangerous.
Clover Mite
Clover MiteBryobia praetiosaA tiny, red-brown mite that crawls by the thousands onto sunny walls and windowsills in spring and fall. Crushed mites leave red stains.
Tell-tale sign: Pinhead-size red to brown dots moving on walls. Risk: Clover mites don't bite people or damage homes; they're a staining nuisance.
Hobo Spider
Hobo SpiderEratigena agrestisA brown funnel-web spider of the Pacific Northwest that builds sheet webs with a funnel retreat in window wells, basements and woodpiles. Males wander indoors in late summer and fall.
Tell-tale sign: Brown body with a herringbone pattern on the abdomen. Risk: Hobo spiders were once blamed for dangerous bites, but current research does not show they cause necrotic wounds.
Southern House Spider
Southern House SpiderKukulcania hibernalisA velvety, dark gray to brown spider of the southern US whose males look like brown recluses. Females build radiating, lint-like webs around cracks in walls and windows.
Tell-tale sign: Velvety, uniformly dark females with a small head. Risk: Southern house spiders rarely bite and are not medically significant.
Bold Jumping Spider
Bold Jumping SpiderPhidippus audaxA compact, fuzzy black spider with white spots and iridescent green mouthparts. It stalks prey with excellent eyesight and leaps several times its body length.
Tell-tale sign: Two very large, front-facing eyes. Risk: Jumping spiders are shy and harmless; a rare bite feels like a mild pinch.
Cellar Spider
Cellar SpiderPholcus phalangioidesA pale, delicate spider with extremely long, thin legs that hangs upside down in loose webs in basements and ceiling corners. When disturbed, it vibrates rapidly in its web.
Tell-tale sign: Tiny, peanut-shaped body with very long, hair-thin legs. Risk: Cellar spiders are harmless to people; the myth that they are deadly but can't bite is false.
Common House Spider
Common House SpiderParasteatoda tepidariorumA small, brownish spider that builds tangled cobwebs in corners, windows and basements. It is the web-builder most often seen inside North American homes.
Tell-tale sign: Round, mottled brown abdomen with chevron markings. Risk: Common house spiders are harmless and help catch flies and other indoor pests.
Goldenrod Crab Spider
Goldenrod Crab SpiderMisumena vatiaA small, crab-like spider that sits on flowers waiting to ambush bees and flies. It can slowly change color between white and yellow to match its flower.
Tell-tale sign: Front two pairs of legs much longer and held out like a crab's. Risk: Crab spiders are harmless; their fangs are too small to hurt most people.
Harvestman
HarvestmanOpiliones orderOften called daddy longlegs, a long-legged arachnid with a single fused, oval body and no venom glands. It scavenges on dead insects, fungi and plant matter.
Tell-tale sign: One round body section instead of two. Risk: Harvestmen have no venom and no silk; they are completely harmless.
Spotted Orbweaver
Spotted OrbweaverNeoscona cruciferaA round, hairy orb weaver that builds a new web each evening on porches, eaves and shrubs. By day it hides in a curled leaf or a nearby corner.
Tell-tale sign: Large, round, hairy abdomen, often reddish or orange. Risk: Spotted orbweavers are harmless and help control flying insects.
Yellow Garden Spider
Yellow Garden SpiderArgiope aurantiaA large black-and-yellow orb weaver that spins a big circular web with a thick zigzag band in the center. It sits head-down in the hub of the web in sunny gardens.
Tell-tale sign: Black and bright yellow patterned abdomen. Risk: Yellow garden spiders are not aggressive; a bite is rare and similar to a bee sting.
Which ones should you worry about?
7 of the 17 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. The ones to take seriously are American dog tick, Arizona bark scorpion, black widow spider, blacklegged tick, brown recluse spider and lone star tick. The rest are harmless or simply a nuisance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common one?
Among the bugs in this guide, the American dog tick and Arizona bark scorpion are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
American Dog Tick, Arizona Bark Scorpion, Black Widow Spider, Blacklegged Tick, Brown Recluse Spider and Lone Star Tick can be medically significant.
How can I identify a bug I found?
Use the free bug identifier tool: choose the number of legs, wings, main color, size and where you found it, and it will list the closest matches.