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 liquified food. Many species in the Sonoran Desert ... only a few are depicted here.

Funnel Spider
Agelenopsis
 © by Mike Plagens

Medium to large sized spiders that use a trampoline-like sheet web with a disticnt funnel retreat in one corner. Several common species. More info

Desert Tarantula
Aphonopelma sp.
 © by Mike Plagens

Giant hairy spiders emerging from hidden burrows in late summer. Found walking along roads and washes. More info

Giant Crab Spider
Olios fasciculatus
photo © by J Blaugh

Large wandering spiders that can climb walls and ceilings. Long legs and small eyes. No web. More info

Fishing Spder
Dolomedes triton
 © by Mike Plagens

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
Arctosa wolf spider © by Mike Plagens

Cursorial spiders that hunt on moist sand along flowing desert canyon bottoms. More info

Green Lynx
Peucetia viridens
 © by Y Anderson

Large, mostly greenish spiders that hunt on and near flowers without a web. More info

Crab Spider
Misumenops deserti
 © by Mike Plagens

Small to medium sized sit-and-wait predators often on flowers. No snaring web. Crawls sideways. More info

Lynx Spider
Hamataliwa sp.
 © by Mike Plagens

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
 © by Laurie Nessel

Active, diurnal spiders that jump after prey. Base color black and marked with red or salmon. More info

Jumping Spider
Thiodina sp.
 © by Mike Plagens

Active, diurnal spiders that do not use a web for prey capture. Intead use stealth and good vision to hunt prey. More info

Orb Weaver
Araneus sp.
orb weaver from the Harquahala Wilderness

Orb webs that for many species are taken down at dawn and reconstructed in evening. Spoke and wheel web with spider sitting at center. More info

Long-jawed Orb Weaver
Tetragnatha sp.
thumb image © by James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster

Orb webs suspended above or very close to water. Males have long jaws. Hides length-wise on grass blades. More info

Tangled-Web Spider
Steatoda ?
very small theridiidae spider © by Mike Plagens

Very small globular spider in an irregular web and hiding in a crevice on vegetation. More info

Tangled-Web Spider
Theridion ?
very small theridiidae spider © by Mike Plagens

Very small globular spider in an irregular web found on foliage of a desert shrub. More info

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Dictyna
Dictyna sp.
 © by Mike Plagens

Small spiders that inhabit dense, tangled webs in the foliage of shrubs. More info

Sheet Web Spider
Linyphiidae
photo © by Mike Plagens

Small spiders that build delicate sheets of silken web often directly on the soil More info

Long-legged Wolf Spider
Pardosa sp.
 © by Mike Plagens

Fast-running spiders normally restricted to moist areas near riparian habitats. Hunts without a web. More info

Southern House Spider
Kukulcania hibernalis
© by Dale Ward

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
photo © by Mike Plagens

Fast moving spiders that hunt on vegetation at night and hide in a silker retreat by day. More info

Stripe-tailed Scorpion
Vaejovis spinigerus
© by Mike Plagens

Common scorpion found beneath rocks near washes and on mountain slopes. Painful but not dangerous sting. More info

Giant Hair Scorpion
Hadrurus arizonensis
photo © by Marc Borom

Largest scorpion in the Sonoran Desert. 'Hairs' require magnification to see. More info

Arizona Bark Scorpion
Centruroides sculpturatus
© by Mike Plagens

Most common scorpion found in and around dwellings in the Sonoran Desert. More info

Sun Spider
Eremobates sp.
© by Marcus Watson

Fast running and nocturnal. Pinchers in front but no sting. Harmless except for their small prey. More info

Scorpion Myths Debunked

by Matt Ellerbeck
Tarantula
Aphonopelma sp.
© by Mike Plagens

Other, smaller tarantula species are found in the Sonoran Desert. More info

Wolf Spider
Hogna sp.
© by Mike Plagens

Large spiders that hunt at night by roaming around ground surface. Four large eyes. Rarely climb walls/houses. More info

Banded Garden Spider
Argiope trifasciata
© by Mike Plagens

Large orb-weaving spider. Abdomen tapered to point. Bands on abdomen may be obscure. Riparian/agricultural areas mostly. More info

Wall Spider
Oecobius spp.
 © by Mike Plagens

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

Desert Harvestman
Eurybunus ?
desert harvestman © by Mike Plagens

Head and abdomen fused. Long slender legs with black and white rings. Body wine-colored. Wanders at dusk and dawn. No web. More info

Pavement Mite
Balaustium
fast-running red mite, Balaustium, © by Mike Plagens

Bright red mites a bit smaller than 2mm often seen running against white concrete or on flowers. More info

Gall Mite
Eriophyidae
© by Mike Plagens

Minute to microscopic mites living within plant tissue and causing blister-like galls. More info

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Copyright Michael J. Plagens, 1999-2013