The eye arrangement can be a key factor when identifying spiders to family, and sometimes to genus, but are almost never useful in identifying to species. For identifying to species, spinnerets and leg details (especially first and 4th legs) are also useful. However, the best thing anyone can do is to get an extreme closeup of a male palp or the underside of a female abdomen, and have them examined by an expert.
Below are some of the best bugguide images of spider eye arrangements. (Some families are not represented yet) The black and white images created are from BugGuide spider images. The views looking into the face were created by me and the dorsal drawing were done by Kyron. Be aware the depending on the viewing angle some eyes that are round may appear otherwise.
Keep in mind that eye arrangements may vary within the families, and the images below only represent a small portion of those spiders. Overall, 99% of all spiders have 8 eyes and of the remaining 1% nearly all have 6, but there are a few exceptions. Sometimes there can even be a varying number of eyes in the same spider family. For example, there are spiders in Cybaeidae that have eight eyes, six eyes, and two eyes. Those families are followed with "(in part)" to show that not all spiders in that family have the same number of eyes.
Families with six-eyed spiders
Anapidae (in part)
Cybaeidae (in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Dictynidae (in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Diguetidae
Dysderidae
Leptonetidae (in part-nearly all six-eyed)
Linyphiidae (in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Nesticidae (in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Ochryroceratidae
Oonopidae (in part-nearly all six-eyed)
Orsolobidae
Pholcidae (in part)
Scytodidae
Segestriidae
Sicariidae
Telemidae (in part-nearly all six-eyed)
Families with four-eyed spiders
Nesticidae (in part)
Symphytognathidae
Families with two-eyed spiders
Caponiidae
Families with no-eyed spiders
Cybaeidae (in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Dictynidae (in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Leptonetidae (in part)
Linyphiidae(in part-nearly all eight-eyed)
Nesticidae (in part)
Telemidae (in part-nearly all six-eyed)
Theridiidae (in part)
Table of contents to eight-eyed spiders represented below
Agelenidae
Amaurobiidae
Anyphaenidae
Clubionidae
Corinnidae
Ctenidae
Ctenizidae
Cybaeidae
Dictynidae
Filistatidae
Gnaphosidae
Linyphiidae
Lycosidae
Mimetidae
Miturgidae
Oecobiidae
Oxyopidae
Philodromidae
Pholcidae
Pisauridae
Salticidae
Selenopidae
Sparassidae
Thomisidae
Tetragnathidae
Theridiidae
Click here to see eye arrangement terminology:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOLF SPIDERS - Lycosidae (all eyes are round)
Unknown Genus
Hogna
Pardosa Arctosa
*I find
Pardosa and
Arctosa eye arrangements to be very similar.
Allocosa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WANDERING SPIDERS - Ctenidae
Anahita
Ctenus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NURSERY WEB SPIDERS - Pisauridae
Dolomedes
Pisaurina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HACKLEMESH WEAVERS - Amaurobiidae
Callobius
Amaurobius
Coras
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FUNNEL-WEB WEAVERS - Agelenidae
Agelenopsis
Tegenaria (all eyes are round)
The following is an atypical
Tegenaria.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GHOST SPIDERS - Anyphaenidae
(this common name is not aknowledged by experts)
Hibana
Anyphaena
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAC SPIDERS - Clubionidae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PROWLING SPIDERS - Miturgidae
you have Cheiracanthium here (where it is currently, but
incorrectly placed in the World Spider Catalog) as well as in
Clubionidae. It will most likely end up in an independent family but a
nomenclatural tangle will have to be unraveled first since we can't
use the name Cheiracanthidae (it's already been used twice in other
groups!)
Cheiracanthium - clypeus low (it's high in Strotarchus)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GROUND SPIDERS - Gnaphosidae
gnaphosids often have some eyes oval
Drassyllus can be distinguished from
Zelotes because the PMEs point in opposite directions (we need a good
Zelotes dorsal shot).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANTMIMICS & GROUND SAC SPIDERS - Corinnidae
Trachelas
Castianeira
Falconina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CYBAEIDS - Cybaeidae - EIGHT, SIX or ZERO EYES
Cybaeus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MESH WEB SPIDERS - Dictynidae
Dictyna
Cicurina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SHEETWEB & DWARF SPIDERS - Linyphiidae
Drapetisca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ORB WEAVERS - Araneidae
dorsal aspect that araneid eyes are distinctive
Araneus
Neoscona Neoscona oaxacensis
Araniella
Larinioides
Argiope Eriophora
Gasteracantha cancriformis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LONG-JAWED ORB WEAVERS - Tetragnathidae
Tetragnatha
Leucauge Meta
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COBWEB WEAVERS - Theridiidae
Enoplognatha
Latrodectus
Steatoda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRAB SPIDERS - Thomisidae (see also this article)
Misumena Misumessus
Misumenoides Mecaphesa
Tmarus Xysticus Ozyptila Bassaniana Coriarachne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RUNNING CRAB SPIDERS - Philodromidae
Philodromus
Tibellus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIANT CRAB SPIDERS - Sparassidae
Pseudosparanthis Olios Heteropoda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JUMPING SPIDERS - Salticidae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LYNX SPIDERS - Oxyopidae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FLATTIES - Selenopidae
(this common name is not aknowledged by experts)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PIRATE SPIDERS - Mimetidae
try to get a better photo of a front leg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WALL SPIDERS - Oecobiidae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CELLAR SPIDERS - Pholcidae - EIGHT OR SIX EYES
unkown Pholcidae
Pholcus
Spermophora
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CREVICE WEAVERS - Filistatidae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TRAPDOOR SPIDERS - Ctenizidae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DYSDERIDS - Dysderidae - SIX EYES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RECLUSE SPIDERS - Sicariidae - SIX EYES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPITTING SPIDERS - Scytodidae - SIX EYES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A special thank you to Jeff Hollenbeck and Rod Crawford for helping me with information for this article. Also thank you to all the photographers who took these great close-up eye shots.
The dorsal drawings (and many of the photos) are the work of
Kyron Basu. Without his help I don't know if I ever would have finished this article. Thanks Kyron!
