Black-and-white Spiny Spider

Gasteracantha kuhli · Order: Araneae · Family: Araneidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Black-and-white Spiny Spider
Photo: Marco Chan, CC BY

Females are 6 to 9 mm wide while males are only 3 to 4 mm long. The spider’s abdomen is white to yellowish with dark markings, often a cross-shaped pattern.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Females are 6 to 9 mm wide; males are much smaller at 3 to 4 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It waits for prey in the centre of its web.

Source: Wikipedia

Questions people ask

What does the black-and-white spiny spider look like?

Its abdomen is white to yellowish with dark markings, often a cross-shaped pattern.

Source: Wikipedia

How big are these spiders?

Females are 6 to 9 mm wide and males are 3 to 4 mm long.

Source: Wikipedia

What does it eat?

It waits for prey in the centre of its web.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Araneidae)

Cross OrbweaverCross OrbweaverAraneus diadematusCan biteYellow Garden SpiderYellow Garden SpiderArgiope aurantiaCan biteSpotted OrbweaverSpotted OrbweaverNeoscona cruciferaCan biteGolden Silk SpiderGolden Silk SpiderTrichonephila clavipesCan biteFurrow OrbweaverFurrow OrbweaverLarinioides cornutusCan biteJoro SpiderJoro SpiderTrichonephila clavataCan bite

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteracantha_kuhli

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.