Western Spotted Orbweaver

Western Spotted Orbweaver Images, Facts and Information:

Neoscona oaxacensis

  • Western Spotted Orbweavers are medium-sized orb-weaving spiders with rounded abdomens, banded legs, and variable coloration that ranges from brown and gray to reddish with distinct white or yellow spots on the abdomen. Females are larger and more robust than males and can reach up to 0.75 inches in body length.
  • Western Spotted Orbweavers are found throughout the western United States, from Washington and Oregon south through California and east to Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Western Spotted Orbweavers inhabit gardens, grasslands, deserts, open woodlands, and shrublands. They are often seen on fences, tall grasses, or buildings where they anchor their large circular webs.
  • Western Spotted Orbweavers are nocturnal hunters that build spiral orb webs to capture flying insects such as moths, beetles, and flies. During the day, they often hide nearby in rolled leaves or other sheltered spots connected to the web by a retreat line.
  • Female Western Spotted Orbweavers lay egg sacs in protected locations near their webs, containing hundreds of eggs that overwinter before spiderlings emerge in spring. Adults are most commonly seen from late summer through fall.
  • Western Spotted Orbweavers are sometimes called “barn spiders” due to their frequent appearance around human structures.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Western Spotted Orbweaver photos.

Back to Insects and Spiders