Bug FAQAtlantic Purseweb Spider
Sphodros atlanticus · Order: Araneae · Family: Atypidae
Also called: Atlantic Purse-web Spider
The Atlantic purseweb spider is black in color. Females are uniformly brown, while males have black femora and red lower legs.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The spider’s body is black. Females are uniformly brown; males have black femora and red lower legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Specimens have been recorded in Maryland and Alabama.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species was originally described from Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Tennessee, Illinois.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: endemic in North America; endemic in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is the Atlantic purseweb spider found?
It was first described from Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois, and later records show it in Maryland and Alabama.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell male and female Atlantic purseweb spiders apart?
Females are uniformly brown, while males have black femora and red lower legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Atypidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphodros_atlanticus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.