Nursery Web Spider, American Nursery Web Spider
Pisaurina mira
Pisauridae (Nursery Web Spiders), Order Araneae. Members of this family are known for carrying egg sacs in their chelicerae and building silk tents for their young.
Physical Description
The spider has a slender, elongate body with a distinctively tapered abdomen. The cephalothorax is roughly pear-shaped and hairy. Females are larger than males, showing typical sexual dimorphism. The texture is velvety due to fine, dense hairs covering the entirety of the specimen.
Size Estimate
Body length usually ranges from 12mm to 19mm for females, with a leg span reaching up to 50mm (about 2 inches). This appears to be an adult specimen.
Coloration & Markings
Variable but typically cream to tan with a dark brown median stripe running from the head to the tail. The stripe is often bordered by thin white or yellow lines. This specimen shows the classic longitudinal band with some undulation on the abdomen.
Web Type
They do not use webs for hunting but are active foragers. However, mothers build a 'nursery'—a specialized silk tent among leaves and twigs—to protect their egg sacs shortly before the spiderlings hatch.
Eye Arrangement
Eight eyes arranged in two rows. The posterior row is slightly recurved (curving backward). This arrangement provides excellent vision for active hunting.
Leg Characteristics
Legs are long and relatively thick with visible spines. In a resting position, they often hold the first two pairs of legs together, pointing forward, creating a four-legged or 'X' appearance.
Venom & Safety Information
Venom Information
Neurotoxic venom designed to paralyze small insects. It is not considered medically significant to humans unless the individual has a specific allergic reaction.
Medical Significance
Harmless. A bite might cause mild localized swelling, redness, or itching similar to a bee sting. No specific treatment is required beyond cleaning the site; seek medical attention only if signs of an allergic reaction occur.
Safety Recommendations
These spiders are beneficial and should be left alone. If one enters a home, it can be safely relocated using the cup-and-paper method. They are not aggressive and rarely bite unless pinned against skin.
Habitat & Behavior
Habitat & Range
Found throughout Eastern North America, spanning from Ontario down to Florida and west to the Great Plains. They prefer tall grass, shrubs, and the edges of forests, but are frequently found on the exterior walls of houses.
Behavior & Temperament
Active diurnal hunters that roam vegetation to find prey rather than waiting in a web. They are generally docile and will flee from humans, though females guarding a nursery tent can be more defensive.
Diet & Prey
Generalist predators feeding on various insects, including flies, moths, and other small invertebrates. They use a 'sit-and-wait' ambush strategy combined with active prowling.
Seasonal Activity
Most active from late spring through late summer. They typically overwinter as sub-adults in leaf litter and mature the following spring.
Description
An elegant, long-legged hunter common in American gardens. The Nursery Web Spider is a master of maternal care, often seen clutching a silk ball of eggs. Its tan and brown camouflage makes it nearly invisible among dried leaves and wooden structures.
Key Features
Wide longitudinal dark band on the cephalothorax and abdomen, long spiny legs, and the habit of resting with the front two pairs of legs held close together.
Similar Species
Often confused with Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae), which have a different eye arrangement and carry egg sacs on their spinnerets, or Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes), which are much larger and usually found near water.
Life Cycle
Mating occurs in late spring. Females carry a large, spherical, white egg sac under their bodies using their jaws and silk. Before hatching, she constructs a nursery web. Lifespan is approximately one year.
Ecological Importance
They are vital for natural pest control in gardens and agricultural fields, consuming large quantities of plant-damaging insects.
Conservation Status
Not evaluated by the IUCN, but considered common and stable throughout their range with no significant threats.
Interesting Facts
Mating involves a 'nuptial gift' where the male presents a silk-wrapped fly to the female to avoid being eaten. If he doesn't have a fly, he sometimes presents a worthless object like a seed or leaf to trick her.
Photography Tips
Capture a top-down (dorsal) view to show the characteristic stripe and a front-facing shot to document the eye arrangement for definitive family identification.
Identified: 2026-07-14T06:32:39.113442