Bug FAQArrow-shaped Orbweaver
Micrathena sagittata · Order: Araneae · Family: Araneidae
Also called: Arrow-shaped Micrathena, Arrow-shaped Orbweaver Spider, Arrowshaped Micrathena, Orb Weavers
Females grow up to about 9 mm long, while males are around 5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It has a distinctive arrow-shaped abdomen that is mostly yellow with black depressions on top and variable red-black patterns underneath. Three pairs of small bumps on the abdomen have black tips and red at their bases.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Females can reach up to 9 mm in body length, not counting the legs, and males are about 5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the eastern United States and Central America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Araneidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrathena_sagittata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.