Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

See Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in Wisconsin, July 10-12


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Synspermiata » Spitting Spiders (Scytodidae)

Family Scytodidae - Spitting Spiders

Classification · Numbers · Identification · Remarks · Print References
Spitting Spider - Scytodes atlacoya - male spitting spider - Scytodes thoracica - female Porch Spider 1 - Scytodes atlacoya Ant Specialist Spider - Scytodes fusca - female unidentified spider - Scytodes univittata - female Scytodes globula - female Male, Scytodes? - Scytodes univittata - male Female Spitting Spider found in my Shoe - Scytodes univittata - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Synspermiata)
Family Scytodidae (Spitting Spiders)
Numbers
There are 241 species of scytodids in 4 genera. Two genera are found in the US:
Scytodes (221 species worldwide, 9 in the US): alayoi, atlacoya, dorothea (velutina), fusca, globula, longipes, thoracica, univittata, and zapatana.
Dictis (4 species worldwide, 1 in the US): striatipes

* All information as of 24 Apr 2022
Identification
Spitting spiders have 6 eyes and are slow moving. They are usually fairly easy to identify by their large round cephalothorax and their long, thin legs.


Front view Eye Arrangement


Refer to the Scytodes genus page for more specific ID guidance.
Remarks
Not dangerous.
Print References
~ Spiders of the Eastern US, A Photographic Guide. Pg. 73
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 12 April, 2004 - 6:21pm
Additional contributions by john and jane balaban, Lynette Elliott, chuuuuung
Last updated 25 April, 2022 - 1:11am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2023 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact