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Tom Murray | all galleries >> Arthropods - Arthropoda >> Arachnids - Arachnida >> Orb Weaver Spiders - Araneidae > Gasteracantha cancriformis - Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver
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Gasteracantha cancriformis - Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver

Mission, Tx.


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Karen 13-Jun-2022 15:18
Found one of these on my porch in MD. Had never seen them before. Very cool. I used a small garden shovel to get a pic so I could ID him. Let him go on a nearby plant.
Guest 08-Sep-2019 03:46
Found one in Wetumpka, AL. I was able to see the little one. Beautiful to behold.
Green Gramma in Kilgore 04-Nov-2017 19:49
I’ve lived in my house in the pineywoods on the outskirts of Kilgore,TX for 8 years now, and I noticed the black and white or weaver spiders back in July of this year (‘17). They weren’t here last year. It’s like an invasion here in east Texas. They are beautiful to look at and I watch them with my 3 year old granddaughter. I try to teach her about insects, spiders, lizards, etc, as we have such a diverse bunch native to TX. But these are definately new to me. Does anyone know how they got here? Did they “hitch” a ride on produce?, a bird? Would like to know. Nature enthusiast from Kilgore,TX
Redneck in the junk 28-Apr-2015 14:39
Well I killed one yellowish looking yesterday. I have never seen one so I thought it had poison. As he died the little fellow politely smiled at me, good guy to say the least. I thunked (thunked=redneck past tense think) little dude must be packing heat, I was like sayonara crabola.
Francine Fiesel 01-Dec-2014 04:44
Tom Murray-Do you happen to know where they originated or are they native to Texas?
Guest 28-Nov-2014 19:33
There are several in my back yard all have different colored backs. I think 9 in total. I wanted to know what they were.
Guest 03-Nov-2014 16:00
Just found one dangling from its web in my driveway
From: LaGrange tx
Guest 29-Oct-2014 13:01
I didn't see them last year, but this year, these little guys are ALL OVER Enchanted Oaks. Driving around on a sunny day while their webs reflect the light shows how LARGE the webs can get.
Liz Delahoussaye 30-Sep-2014 18:19
I live in St. Martiville, LA and have been in my house 7 years - just in the past few months I have seen these crablike spiders. I love to walk around my yard, but I have to be careful where I walk or I will walk right into a web. Their webs are different from other spiders - thicker and stronger. Don't know if they are poisonous or not.
nancy benavidez 06-Jun-2014 18:04
I found 1in my porch in houston tx.. never in my life i seen something like this.. scary
Guest 24-Sep-2013 16:22
Found one in Rockport, TX Sept 24,2013.
Alison 19-Sep-2012 21:58
Just found one in a huge web in my backyard in Sulphur, LA
Guest 14-Sep-2012 12:00
I just commented on Sept. 14,2012 and didn't mention that I am in South Carolina. Haven't seen a post from this state.
Guest 14-Sep-2012 11:57
I have several of these amazing spiders in my yard. First time I have ever seen them. The webs are beautiful. Different from anything I've ever seen before. I really DO NOT like spiders but this one is so interesting to watch. I don't mind having it around.
Guest 13-Sep-2012 18:56
An amazing spider..for my North Georgia front yard, anyway. The web is wonderfully geometric and has areas, in the middle of the individual lines, that have a thicker texture. Not quite like a typical black and yellow garden spider, but "fuzzy" nonetheless. Since most of the previous commenters are from Texas, this spider must have come to GA with the armadillos. Happy Global Warming, everybody!
Sharon 30-May-2011 09:08
Keeping this thread fresh...these spiders have invaded our screened in pool area. They sure picked a place where insect pickings are slim, but they are everywhere and their webs are so thick and sticky that they are hard to get off. I brush them down daily and carry them out to the yard. The next day, there will be more...and more sticky webs.

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Guest 03-Dec-2010 01:36
Thanks for helping us identify our bright yellow orb weaver. We've seen two in the last two days here in Austin. Its shell looks like a bright yellow smiley face from the 60's. Peace y'all! Patti P in Austin
rolando 18-Nov-2010 03:41
i found one of these spiders black and yellow on Halloween
Guest 13-Nov-2010 07:12
These live in my neighborhood and they always make webs in front of my house door in Sugarland, TX or above it. Usually the ones I see are green or red though. Quite cool looking but pretty freak, nor are they fun to run into all of the time
Guest 04-Nov-2010 01:47
I just saw my first one today with my daughter and it was beautiful! i never seen a spider like that before! It was very interesting so i had to look at up and see what kind of spider it was.
Guest 28-Oct-2010 02:42
Saw my first ones a few years ago shortly before Halloween in Killeen Texas. The black and white ones looke like skulls and the orange and black one looked like Jack-o-Lanterns. How fun is that? :)
Guest 14-Oct-2010 14:45
ok I haven't seen these in years and all of a sudden in the past week up to today im seeung them everywhere. I want to know how I can get rid of them. I tried spraying them but it seems like the spray doesn't bother them.
Christine 17-Sep-2010 02:59
I found one this morning in Katy,Texas... mine had a neon yellow underside. I had never seen one before. So Pretty!!!!
guest 19-Jun-2010 16:31
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FL I found a couple going through the woods on a trail they are really pretty, we accidently knocked its web down but we came back to take pictures and within 10 minutes it had already started building a beautiful new web.
Anonymous 09-Jun-2010 23:40
My grandparents pool has these spiders EVERYWHERE! It's even screened-in... Guess that doesn't work very well. A long time ago when I was 7-9 years old, we ran into a HUGE one of these spiders in the pool area. It was like a half an inch big. My cousin and I shot it down with a water gun and when we went to go investigate out of the pool, it was shooting web at my cousins feet and chasing him around the pool area! It was priceless. Sadly, it got killed... There are still a lot of these spiders there today.
Bety McDaniel 31-May-2010 15:52
The Woodlands, TX -I had found a couple of amazing webs heart shapes and a a five star web shape. These spiders are amazing.
Guest 11-Sep-2009 05:36
I found about 4 of these around my house. They definitely are very cool looking but also looked dangerous, especially when all of them were hanging out around a black widow. I read up on them and found out they're not at all dangerous though. I had never seen this spider until today and I found 4 of them, very cool.
Danielle 10-Jul-2009 15:38
I have about 30 or so of these spiders in my pool enclosure. Though they are pretty they are every where! We run into them everytime we go near the pool area. I do not want to kill them but there is way to many and we need to thin them out or something. What can we do to keep them away from the pool and not kill them? Everyday you could wipe the web away but that is just a fix for the moment.
Guest 30-May-2009 15:19
Houston, TX- I found two of these awesome little guys in my yard at the beginning of the month. They are now gone but I enjoyed them every day. I got two really great photos of them but not sure how to post them on here. One was white and the other was red-orange. They are very intriguing!
Guest 22-May-2009 20:59
I found a spider web in my yard yesterday. it was huge, it strechde all the way from the ground to thr lim of a tree. its web was destroyed,sadly but i found it again .i got it to clime on to a lef and i moved it to a pot that my moher had and its builiding a new web write now.
VINCENT 26-Mar-2009 18:45
Hey thats cool great picture of the spider...i found one of those spiders in my back yard in FORT WORTH,TX.This is an amazing spiecies of spider...the one i found was a bright yellow and black..it was making its web between two trees..THANK GOD FOR NATURE!!
Guest 28-Feb-2009 15:35
These things are all through my yard here in houston. I have a Pecan Grove and they are all through the trees. It's kind of annoying when trying to do yard work and you walk into one of their webs.
Guest 02-Jan-2009 20:40
This thing is nuts. Found one in my backyard in Austin,Tx.
Was recycling all the beer cans from the new years days. I just figured it morphed from all the alcohol abuse.
Guest 31-May-2008 01:26
Laredo, TX. Just ran into two of these beautiful spiders in a web... ours are yellow and black...but I had never seen one before! I've searched the web before for different reasons, so I was really surprised that I found this one so quickly! Thanks for the great photos!
Guest 14-Mar-2008 17:59
Just saw one of these in my backyard in Galveston Island Texas. Looks like his is not to nasty so ill just live and let live. Hope he eats alot of nasty misquitoes.
Kymber 15-Nov-2007 22:55
Wow, a lot of comments from Texas. I'm from southwest florida and there are about 12 in my screened in lanaii, so much for a screen keeping out the bugs and spiders. They are pretty, thanks for the info I won't keep spraying them I'll try to catch them and move them to the backyard.
Lynn 23-Oct-2007 01:06
Houston
My neighbor & I were talking about these spiders the other day. This is the first year we have seen them in our yards. I was glad to find this website to find out what kind of spider they are, they are so unique looking.
Francisco 22-Oct-2007 20:25
Del Rio, Tx.
I saw at least 3 in my backyard. Yellow "shell" though. Thanks for the site. I was searching the web for this spider's common or scientific name as I thought it was harmless and my wife they were poisonous.
steven 23-Sep-2007 22:35
I have three in my backyard, white yellowish and orange. the orange one is smallest. does their color change as they mature?
Bari09-Sep-2007 21:04
Magnolia, TX. Thanks for this site! We had never seen these before and this morning we had 3 with webs between our porch and tree in the front yard, so I came online to look them up. Glad they aren't poisonous and we too will just let them alone and let them have as many mosquitos as they want! Bari/Jim DuBois
kim crowder 26-Aug-2007 21:42
i can't get rid of these. they are all over my yard. i am deathly afraid of spiders. i can't mow because i can't see them until i have run into them. i sprayed over a dozen yesterday but there is more today. i have never had them in my yard before. any ideas?

kim crowder - longview, texas
ann 26-Aug-2007 15:20
I have at least 5 webs surrounding my patio. Beautiful webs that I hate to disturb, but happy to know that they eat mosquitos. If I try to wipe out the web, they are back the next morning with an even more gorgeous web. I still need to clean up my yard.
Guest 21-Aug-2007 17:08
I ran into one of their webs this morning, from a humming bird bush to my car door. I had hoped it wasn't on me. In a matter of moments, I felt a sting and sure enough, it was inside my shirt and bit me on my right breast. They are all over my yard in League City to.
Suzanna 06-Aug-2007 00:17
I have one above my garbage can outside - thanks for the information. I shall let it alone to feast on the hoards of mosquitos. - Austin, TX
Alex 30-Jun-2007 22:39
These are not poisonous. I've got a few in my yard but they're not in my way.

If they are in your roses and shrubs, try to catch them in a jar and move them to a spot where you won't run into them. They build great webs and are really good at controlling mosquitoes.
Sean 11-Jun-2007 14:10
I have them all over my yard and I'm thrilled, they're beautiuful.

Plus these little guys eat annoying insects like mosquitos. Why get rid of them?
irene 07-Jun-2007 03:31
how can i get rid of this spider? They are all over my roses and shrubs.
Tom Murray18-Aug-2006 13:01
All spiders have some venom, but only a few pose any threat to humans, like the widows, the hobo spider, and the brown recluse. Most other spider bites are no worse than a bee sting, since their venom only needs to be strong enough to subdue insects.
Julie 17-Aug-2006 20:48
Is he poisonous?
Guest 16-Oct-2005 17:03
I have a crablike spiny orb weaver in my back yard--thank you for helping me identify it!!

Michele Lloyd
Hewitt, Texas