Hentz Orb-Weaver, Spotted Orb-Weaver, Barn Spider
Neoscona crucifera
Family Araneidae (Orb-Weavers), Order Araneae
Physical Description
The spider has a robust, bulky oval abdomen that is often widest near the front, paired with a distinct rounded cephalothorax. Females are significantly larger than males. The body is covered in fine setae (hairs), and the abdomen often displays subtle bumps or tubercles.
Size Estimate
Body length typically ranges from 9 to 18 millimeters for females, with a leg span reaching up to 30 to 40 millimeters. This specimen appears to be a mature or subadult female.
Coloration & Markings
Base coloration varies widely from yellowish-brown, reddish-brown, to grayish-white. The dorsal abdomen often features a distinct leaf-like pattern or a series of spots and a central cross-like or hashed marking, flanked by darker lines.
Web Type
Constructs a classic, large vertical orb web consisting of sticky spiral threads and non-sticky structural radii. The web often features an open hub in the center where the spider waits upside down, commonly built near lights, porches, or garden foliage.
Eye Arrangement
Eight small eyes arranged in two rows of four (anterior and posterior lateral pairs often touching, with central eyes forming a distinct quadrangle), typical of the orb-weaver family Araneidae.
Leg Characteristics
Strong, moderately long legs featuring distinct dark banding or rings. They are equipped with spines and specialized claws used for manipulating silk and walking across the vertical orb web without getting stuck.
Venom & Safety Information
Venom Information
Contains mild neurotoxic and proteolytic venom designed strictly for subduing invertebrate prey. It is not specialized for vertebrate defense.
Medical Significance
Not medically significant. Bites are extremely rare, typically occurring only if the spider is directly squeezed or trapped against the skin. Symptoms are minor and localized, usually limited to mild, temporary pain, redness, or slight swelling akin to a mosquito bite.
Safety Recommendations
No special precautions needed beyond avoiding handling them bare-handed. If found near a doorway, they can be gently relocated using a cup and a piece of paper.
Habitat & Behavior
Habitat & Range
Found commonly across North America, particularly in the eastern and central regions. Prefers gardens, woodland edges, shrubs, and the exterior walls of houses or barns where outdoor lighting attracts flying insect prey.
Behavior & Temperament
Nocturnal hunters that typically construct or rebuild their large orb webs at dusk, retreating to a nearby leaf or hiding spot during the day, though they can often be found waiting in the center of the web at night. They are docile and non-aggressive, fleeing or dropping from the web if disturbed.
Diet & Prey
Generalist predator feeding primarily on flying nocturnal insects such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and flies captured in its sticky orb web.
Seasonal Activity
Most active and noticeable during late summer and autumn when adults reach their maximum size and females construct egg sacs before dying off with the first hard frosts.
Description
The Hentz Orb-Weaver is a quintessential nighttime architect of the suburban garden. With its stout, beautifully patterned body suspended gracefully in the center of a symmetrical wheel-like web, this species is a master trap-maker. Operating primarily after sunset, it waits patiently for winged insects drawn to porch lights, serving as an exceptional and harmless natural pest controller.
Key Features
Robust, hairy, bulbous abdomen with variable brownish or reddish patterns; large, vertically oriented orb web with an open hub; nocturnal habit of sitting head-down in the center of the web.
Similar Species
Other spotted orb-weavers in the genus Neoscona (such as Neoscona domiciliorum) and certain Araneus species (like the Barn Spider, Araneus cavaticus). Distinguishing requires close examination of the ventral markings and epigynum in females.
Life Cycle
Mates in late summer or autumn, after which the female constructs a silken egg sac attached to protected surfaces or bark, containing hundreds of eggs. Spiderlings hatch the following spring, often dispersing via ballooning on wind currents.
Ecological Importance
Acts as a vital biological control agent by consuming large quantities of flying agricultural pests, mosquitoes, and nuisance insects, while also serving as prey for birds and wasps.
Conservation Status
Not evaluated by the IUCN, but populations are abundant, widespread, and currently stable across their native range.
Interesting Facts
Many orb-weavers consume their entire web daily to recycle the proteins in the silk before spinning a fresh one right before nightfall.
Photography Tips
Photograph at night using a flash to highlight the reflective eye shine and catch the spider clearly in the center of its illuminated web. Use a macro lens for detail shots of the dorsal patterns while maintaining a safe, non-disruptive distance.
User Notes
what is the name of this spider
Identified: 2026-09-02T16:27:03.759719