The Find-a-spider Guide - Find-a-spider

Find a spider by... common name location species family web, burrow or egg sac photos

Find-a-spider by web, burrow or egg sac

Click on the most appropriate alternative on the list below if you think you have found a spider's web, burrow, or egg sac but no spider. But before you do, please note that

1. closely related species will often have a web, burrow, retreat or egg sac similar to those shown.

2. many spiders do not make obvious webs and their egg sacs are rarely seen.

3. most webs you find will be at least slightly damaged or atypical for some reason.

4. what you have found may not have been made by a spider but by some other kind of animal.

A burrow, perhaps with a door
A large insect-trapping web
A small, suspended, insect-trapping web
An insect-trapping web with an attached retreat
A web used only as a retreat
Just a few supporting threads present
A round egg sac
A pillow-shaped egg sac
A fluffy egg mass
Some other egg sac arrangement

Email Ron Atkinson for more information. Last updated 27 May 2005.