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Spotted Orbweaver

Neoscona crucifera[3]

The spotted orbweaver is a large brown orbweaver, sometimes called a barn spider, that spins a big wheel-shaped web on eaves, porches, trees and shrubs each evening and takes it down at dawn; it is beneficial and its bite isn't known to cause serious problems.[1][2]

Group
Arachnid
Order
Araneae
Family
Araneidae
US records
37 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-15
Brown spotted orbweaver spider at the center of a dew-covered web
Brown spotted orbweaver spider at the center of a dew-covered web. Photo: eb50, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Females are usually about 1/2 inch long (not counting legs), reddish brown to brown with a slightly triangular-oval abdomen; males are smaller and rarely seen.[1][2]
  • Legs are usually gray with brown rings.[2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Other Neoscona and Araneus orbweaversRelated orbweavers, including the arabesque orbweaver and Araneus species such as the marbled orbweaver, are hard to tell apart, even for specialists.[2]

Where it lives

Found from southern Florida north to New England, west to Minnesota and southwest to Arizona and Mexico; MDC calls it the most common Neoscona in Missouri.[1][2]

US map: public records from 37 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Females build the web at dusk, hunt at night, eat the web at dawn and hide in cracks and corners by day.[2]

In the North males mature as early as late June and females in July; adults are most noticeable in late summer and fall.[1]

Damage and signs

  • It does no damage; it eats a variety of insects caught in its web.[1][2]

Health risk

UF reports its bites are not known to cause serious problems.[1]

Control

Prevention

No control is needed; the spider takes its web down at dawn and rebuilds at dusk.[2]

Common questions

What is the big brown spider that makes a web on my porch every night?
Likely a spotted orbweaver, which builds its web at dusk and eats it at dawn.[1][2]
Is the spotted orbweaver dangerous?
No; bites aren't known to cause serious problems.[1]
Where does it go during the day?
It hides in nearby cracks and corners.[2]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Orb Weavers, Neoscona crucifera and Neoscona domiciliorum (EENY-316/IN569).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN569 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. Missouri Department of Conservation, “Arboreal Orbweaver (Spotted Orbweaver) (Field Guide).” mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/arboreal-orbweaver-spotted-orbweaver (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Neoscona crucifera taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/85034 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.