Garden spiders are prolific in Indiana.
From the taxonomy of spiders, the orb-weaving varieties come from the Arachnida class, Araneae order and Araneidae family; they get their common name from the large, round, flat, spiral webs they weave. Nocturnal by nature, adult females can be seen during fall daylight hours sitting head down in the centers of their webs. Indiana has six kinds of orb weavers.
Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider
The ubiquitous black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) can be found in many Indiana yards, gardens and wooded areas. The black and yellow markings on the abdomen along with the black and orange bands alternating on the legs make this spider hard to miss. Its unmistakable web is built as spirals that spread from the center. The female may be the largest spider Hoosiers ever encounter as the legs can reach 3 inches in diameter and its body can measure 1 to 1 ½ inches. The male is much smaller and hides most of the time in a smaller web attached to the female's web.
Labyrinthine Orb Weaver Spider
The labyrinthine orb weaver spider (Metepeira labyrinthia), sometimes called the labyrinth orbweaver, creates one starburst-looking web that is easy to identify, and some build a second one that is the regular orb-shaped. These brown, orange, black and tan spiders hide themselves on their webs using debris such as leaves.
Orb Weaver
Orb weavers (Araneus spp.) in Indiana usually have rounded abdomens and many are black, brown or orange to brown. Their long banded legs and their body size (a little less than ¼ inch for males and .39 inches to .78 inches for females) can be intimidating. Using their three claws, Orb weavers rebuild their sticky webs every night then sit in the middle of the web or stay close by with a "signal" line attached to their legs to be ready to attack any prey such as a mosquito that gets entangled; although most species hunt only during the evening, some stay in their webs night and day.
Six-Spotted Orbweaver Spider
The six spots on the six-spotted orbweaver spider are located on the spider's abdomen and each has a pale ring around it. Their small orb-shaped webs, built low to the ground, can be found in pastures, fields, bushes, tall grass and meadows.
Trashline Orb Weaver
The thick stabilimentum or silk that runs vertically through the center of the trashline orb weaver spider's web is basically a line of trash, hence the name trashline orb weaver (Araneidae cyclosa). This tiny spider collects debris such as leaves found on other parts of the web and attaches it to the stabilimentum, then hides in the debris; it attaches leftover prey parts on the line as well. This spider can be found in Indiana's grasslands, residential and wooded areas.
Tuft-Legged Orb Weaver
The tuft-legged orb weaver (Mangora placida) weaves a fine mesh vertical web that is slightly tilted; this white, black or brown creature is found in Indiana shrubs, forest undergrowth and tall grass.
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