Bug FAQRed-femured Spotted Orbweaver
Neoscona domiciliorum · Order: Araneae · Family: Araneidae
Also called: spotted orbweaver
The red-femured spotted orbweaver is a small spider found in moist woodlands and on buildings, especially under eaves. Its bite is not known to cause serious harm to humans.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have a bright white or yellow spot on the back of the abdomen. The first leg segment is red, while the rest of the legs are banded black and pale gray.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Females range from 7 to 16 mm long and have short gray hairs. Males are about 8 mm long with a relatively small, linear abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
The name “domiciliorum” means “of dwellings,” reflecting its habit of living on buildings. Often found under eaves where it may go unnoticed because it is nocturnal.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Prefers moist hardwood woodlands and can also be found on building eaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females build a leaf-debris retreat bound with silk near one end of a frame line. Late in the season the web may stay up during the day as the female prepares for egg laying.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
A longitudinal groove on the carapace distinguishes it from Araneus species. Its web hub is open and crossed by only one or two threads, unlike Araneus.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a problem inside the house?
They are often found on building eaves and may go unnoticed, but they do not damage the structure.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Araneidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoscona_domiciliorum
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.