11 Of The Most Common Spiders In New Zealand To Look Out For

New Zealand’s most common spiders include the harmless Grey House Spider, White-Tailed Spider, Wolf Spider, and Daddy Long-legs. You’ll also encounter Jumping Spiders, Sheetweb Spiders, and the large Avondale Spider. Only two venomous species warrant caution: the endangered native Katipō and the introduced Australian Redback. While most house spiders help control pests, knowing which few to avoid keeps you and your family safe from potential bites.

Grey House Spider (Badumna Longinqua)

The Grey House Spider, despite its name, is actually an Australian native that has made itself quite at home in New Zealand. You’ll spot these medium-sized spiders (about 15mm long) building untidy webs with circular retreats in undisturbed areas around your home.

They’re crafty hunters, hiding in their retreat until prey becomes entangled in their radiating webs. Their diet consists mainly of flies, moths, and sometimes larger insects like wasps. They’re identifiable by their purplish-brown legs with distinctive striped hairs and a darkened carapace near the eyes.

They’ll inject digestive fluids into their catch, liquefying it before consumption.

While they serve as natural pest controllers, their webs can be a nuisance, especially on car mirrors. Their main predators include white-tailed spiders and parasitic wasps. Like many introduced species in New Zealand, they’ve adapted to the local ecosystems while the country maintains its unique cultural identity.

Nature’s pest control comes with a price: cobwebbed car mirrors and the constant threat of white-tailed spiders.

Though common, they’re generally harmless to humans and play an important role in controlling local insect populations.

Australian Redback Spider (Latrodectus Hasseltii)

Why should you be particularly cautious of this infamous arachnid? Originally from Australia, this venomous spider has established itself in New Zealand since the early 1980s, arriving through imported cargo and spreading through human activity.

You’ll recognize females by their black bodies with distinctive red/cream stripes on the abdomen, while males are smaller with less prominent markings. They build thimble-shaped webs in dry, sheltered places like outbuildings, under ledges, or rocks.

Their bite contains neurotoxin causing severe pain, nausea, sweating, and muscle weakness. The redback is responsible for more serious envenomations than any other creature in Australia, with an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 bites occurring annually. If bitten, seek immediate medical attention as no effective first aid exists.

Control them by clearing debris, destroying egg sacs, and regularly inspecting storage areas. Be vigilant, as they quickly recolonize cleared areas.

Katipō Spider (Latrodectus Katipo)

New Zealand’s own katipō spider deserves special attention as one of the country’s few venomous native spiders. You’ll find these endemic arachnids primarily in coastal sand dunes throughout New Zealand, except in the far south and west of the South Island.

Katipō exist in two forms: red (southern) and black (northern), with overlap zones in the middle of the North Island. They build ground-level webs anchored to coastal vegetation like spinifex and marram grass, just above the high-water mark.

While their populations are significant in protected areas like Marlborough East Coast, they’re increasingly rare due to coastal development. Their reproduction depends on temperatures above 17°C, limiting their southern range. This endangered species now has only a few thousand individuals remaining across approximately 50 North Island and 8 South Island locations.

Look for their distinctive funnel-shaped webs, typically 4-6cm long, when exploring beach dunes. Unlike many other regions worldwide, New Zealand is renowned for its snake-free environment, making these spiders one of the few venomous creatures to watch for.

White-Tailed Spider (Lampona Cylindrata)

White-tailed spiders, originally from Australia, have established themselves throughout New Zealand since their accidental introduction in 1886. You’ll recognize them by their dark cigar-shaped bodies with distinctive white spots on the abdomen tip. They’re primarily nocturnal hunters that don’t build webs, instead actively searching for other spiders to eat. Their distinctive appearance includes an elongate body form that makes them easily identifiable compared to other spider species.

• L. cylindrata dominates the South Island while L. murina is common in the North Island.

They prefer urban environments, hiding under bark, rocks, and inside homes.

Most active during summer and autumn when you’re likely to spot them indoors.

While their bites can be painful, the controversial claims about severe skin ulceration haven’t been scientifically supported. They’re not particularly interested in humans—they’re just looking for their next spider meal.

If you’re concerned about these spiders in your home, consider relocating to affordable places in New Zealand where pest control services are more readily available.

Wolf Spider (Anoteropsis Spp.)

Unlike their web-building cousins, wolf spiders (Anoteropsis spp.) are active hunters you’ll spot racing across the ground in search of prey. These impressive arachnids are chiefly endemic to New Zealand, with about 20 species dominating the country’s wolf spider diversity.

You’ll recognize them by their distinctive eye arrangement—three rows with two large eyes in the middle—giving them excellent vision for hunting. They range from 4-17mm in size, with many sporting a pale yellow stripe down their backs.

Look for these solitary predators in grasslands and agricultural areas throughout both main islands. Anoteropsis hilaris represents one of the most abundant predators in New Zealand’s agricultural ecosystems.

From December to March, you might see females carrying either pinkish egg sacs or spiderlings on their backs—a sign of their remarkable maternal care.

They’re beneficial predators that help control insect populations naturally. These fascinating creatures are part of native wildlife species that make New Zealand’s ecosystem uniquely diverse compared to other regions around the world.

Tunnel Web Spider (Hexathele Spp.)

Among New Zealand’s most distinctive arachnids, tunnel web spiders (Hexathele spp.) create elaborate underground lairs across the country’s diverse landscapes. You’ll recognize these large brown to black spiders by their chevron-patterned abdomens and impressive size, with females reaching up to 13mm in body length.

• These nocturnal hunters build complex tunnel systems in dark, moist areas beneath rocks and logs.
• The banded tunnelweb spider (H. hochstetteri) is particularly notable in the North Island, with a body length up to 25mm.
• Despite their intimidating appearance, they’re rarely seen unless you’re specifically searching for them.

Their distinctive banded appearance makes them relatively easy to identify when encountered in the wild. When exploring New Zealand’s outdoors, you might spot their distinctive webs near entrances to their burrows. These spiders play an important role in controlling insect populations throughout their exclusively Kiwi habitat. New Zealand’s unique environmental conditions create ideal living conditions for these native arachnids, contributing to the country’s remarkable biodiversity.

Daddy Long-Legs Spider (Pholcus Phalangioides)

The daddy long-legs spider (Pholcus phalangioides) is perhaps the most familiar household spider you’ll encounter in New Zealand homes. You’ll find these slender, long-legged arachnids in dimly lit corners of your house, particularly in basements, attics, and ceiling corners.

Despite common myths, they’re completely harmless to humans. With a small body of about 10mm and distinctive arrangement of eight eyes in three rows, they’re easy to identify. They create messy, delicate webs where they catch and immobilize flying insects. They exhibit an impressive defensive behavior called whirling behavior when threatened, rapidly swinging their body in a circle while keeping their legs fixed on the web.

These spiders take about a year to mature and can live up to two years afterward. They’re beneficial roommates, controlling small insect populations around your home. Like many creatures in New Zealand’s wildlife, they play an important ecological role in their environment.

Originally introduced accidentally, they’ve now spread throughout both North and South Islands.

Jumping Spider (Salticidae)

Jumping spiders are perhaps New Zealand’s most charismatic arachnids, with around 200 species thought to exist throughout the country. You’ll find these small hunters from seashores to mountain peaks, with their distinctive large front eyes giving them excellent vision for stalking prey.

• The black-headed jumping spider (Trite planiceps) is commonly spotted in homes and gardens with its jet-black head and yellow-green striped abdomen.
• Unlike web-building spiders, these active hunters pounce on their prey after carefully stalking them.
• Many species display unique patterns and colors, with powerful front legs that help them make impressive leaps.

Despite their small size (typically less than 1cm long), jumping spiders are harmless to humans and possess remarkable intelligence for their size. These fascinating creatures can jump up to half a meter when hunting or escaping potential threats. Australian sailors often spot these agile spiders on boats during sailing adventures along coastal regions, undeterred by the maritime environment.

Avondale Spider (Delena Cancerides)

While jumping spiders may charm with their tiny size and intelligence, New Zealand hosts a much larger arachnid visitor with an equally fascinating story. The Avondale spider, introduced from Australia in the 1920s, has made Auckland its primary home.

From tiny jumpers to imposing huntsmen, New Zealand’s spider diversity spans from native charmers to Australian immigrants.

You’ll recognize these huntsman spiders by their large, flattened brown bodies and long legs. Unlike most spiders, they don’t build webs but hunt prey directly using their speed and strength.

They’re particularly social creatures, living in colonies of up to 300 individuals that share food and maintain complex hierarchies. The Avondale spider’s significance to the community is celebrated in Auckland with a local sculpture in the Avondale shopping centre.

Despite their intimidating size and Hollywood appearances in films like “Arachnophobia,” you needn’t worry—they’re harmless to humans. Look for them in dark, dry spaces around your home or under loose bark, where they’ll be hunting cockroaches and other pests. These spiders originally come from Australia’s coastlines, where various species can be found from Sydney to Perth.

Sheetweb Spider (Cambridgea Spp.)

You’ll recognize them by:

• Their impressive horizontal sheet webs that can span up to a square meter
• Long legs and distinctive chelicerae, especially prominent in males
• Body sizes ranging from 6mm to 20mm, with Cambridgea foliata being among the largest

During daylight hours, these spiders hide in tubular retreats, emerging at night to hang beneath their webs. Males engage in fascinating competitive behaviors when seeking mates, often fighting rival males through escalating stages of confrontation.

If you’re exploring native bush after dark, you might spot them waiting to ambush insects that fall onto their silken traps. These spiders are commonly found in Queenstown’s bushlands where they thrive in the natural environment.

Males occasionally wander into homes, where they can become trapped in bathtubs or sinks.

Harvestman Spider (Opiliones)

Despite their spider-like appearance, harvestmen aren’t spiders at all. They’ve a single oval body structure where the cephalothorax and abdomen are broadly connected, unlike true spiders.

You’ll recognize them by their extraordinarily long legs, sometimes 20 times longer than their body.

New Zealand hosts over 250 species of these harmless arachnids, most of which are endemic. They are divided into three main sub-orders: Cyphophthalmi, Palpatores, and Laniatores. You might spot native Megalopsalis or Pantopsalis species, or the introduced European Phalangium opilio.

Don’t worry about harvestmen – they lack venom and silk glands, making them completely harmless to humans.

They’re omnivorous, feeding on small invertebrates, plants, and fungi.

Though often mistaken for dangerous spiders, these beneficial creatures help dispel myths about arachnids in your garden.

While easily confused with other common spiders in New Zealand, harvestmen have a distinctive body that sets them apart from true spiders.

Last Words

You’re now equipped to identify common spiders in New Zealand. Remember, most are harmless and actually benefit your garden by controlling pests. As the saying goes, “knowledge is power” – understanding which spiders pose actual risks (like the Redback) versus those that simply look intimidating helps you make informed decisions about when to worry and when to simply observe these fascinating creatures from a safe distance.