Red and White Spider Species Commonly Found in Utah's Outdoors

Overview of the Red and White Spider Found in Utah

Utah is home to a variety of spider species, but one particular spider that stands out with its vibrant coloration is the red and white spider. This spider can be easily identified by its reddish-orange body with white markings on the abdomen. While not much may be known about this specific spider, it shares some characteristics with other spiders found throughout North America.

Physical Appearance and Identifying Traits

The most identifying trait of the red and white spider is of course the coloration. The legs and head tend to be more orange-red, while the abdomen has a pattern of distinct white spots or stripes. The number and size of these white markings can vary among individual spiders. These spiders have an oval-shaped abdomen. Their body size is on the smaller end, with their legspan reaching about the size of a nickel.

They have eight eyes arranged in two rows. Their leg joints have small dark bands. Besides the vibrant red and white colors, they also have some yellow banding on their leg joints. When witnessed weaving their irregular-looking webs, the spider hangs upside down positioned in the center or near the top of the web. The webs themselves tend to lack any particular pattern.

Habits and Behavior

The red and white spider enjoys warmer environments and is most active during the daytime hours. They construct their messy-looking webs on low-growing plants and shrubs. The webs are used to capture small insects that get trapped in the erratic, tangled strings of silk.

Despite the neutral and even helpful impact these spiders have on controlling pest populations, the red and white spider tends to be reclusive. It likes to retreat to thick vegetation, abandoning its web at the slightest disturbance. This makes them challenging to spot and observe in the wild.

This spider’s bite is not considered medically significant for humans or other mammals. At most a bite would leave a mild irritation or redness similar to a mosquito bite. The venom strength is limited for small insect prey only.

Differences From Other Spider Species

While the red and white spider has not been classified as a specific species yet, we can compare it to other common spiders. It has some similarities but many differences that set it apart from spiders like the brown recluse, black widow, wolf spider, and others often found in Utah.

Western Black Widow Spider

Black widow spiders have a notorious reputation and feature a distinctive jet black body with a prominent red hourglass marking on the underside of the large rounded abdomen. Unlike the red and white spider, widow spiders spin very strong and complex large webs. Widows use these to snare much larger prey. Their bites can be medically significant with neurotoxic venom that requires medical intervention in severe cases.

Hobo Spider

The hobo spider is brown with faint markings on its elongated abdomen. Hobos tend to inhabit darker less exposed areas and keep to themselves by hiding under rocks, woodpiles, vegetation, and crawl spaces. When they do bite, they can sometimes cause mild skin lesions, but they are less toxic than widows.

Wolf Spider

Named for actively hunting like wolves instead of building webs, wolf spiders are mostly brownish-grey and difficult to visually spot. They have layers of eyes and rely on excellent eyesight senses day and night for chasing insects on land. With strong fangs they can inflict bites, but they are usually not aggressive or dangerous.

Conclusion

The red and white spider wins attention for its unique coloration among the arthropods found crawling around Utah, even if it remains elusive to identify or study more closely. While many associate spiders with danger and toxicity, this brightly colored spider seems mild-mannered and uninterested in close encounters.

We still have much to learn about new and yet unclassified spider species, but this little harmless spider should not automatically trigger fears or demand being destroyed on sighting. All spiders big and small have their place in Utah's ecosystems. Unless they invade inside living spaces or require identification/capture for pest management, red and white spiders can usually be left alone to continue catching flies and mosquitos in the garden bushes.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.