Orb weavers ("Neoscona crucifera") belong to the spider family, Araneidae, and their distribution ranges across most of the U.S., including New England states such as Connecticut. These spiders build round-shaped webs, which is why they are known as "orb weavers." The central section of the web is not as orderly as the web's outer rings. Hardwood forests with warm climates are the primary habitat for orb weaver spiders; orb weavers also build webs on buildings.
The only venomous spider in Connecticut is the northern black widow ("Latrodectus variolus"), a subspecies of the black widow that lives throughout the state. The primary habitats for these spiders are dark crevices in buildings, basements, tree logs and underneath rocks. A northern black widow builds webs for trapping prey and laying eggs. Northern black widows may be identified by the red hourglass-shaped marking on their abdomen. Only female spiders emit a dangerous amount of venom when they bite; males are considered harmless.
One of the most common spiders in Connecticut is the American house spider ("Achaearanea tepidariorum"). American house spiders build erratic webs inside buildings, usually in crevices and room corners. This spider belongs to the Theridiidae family of spiders, which are also known as comb-footed spiders. American house spiders lay hidden strands of silk to trap insects; once an insect is stuck, the spiders pull their prey to the main part of the web.
As its name suggests, the running spider (the Trachelas genus) uses its lightening quick speed to catch its prey. Since they rely on speed to catch prey, running spiders do not spend time building webs. These spiders live in most eastern, southeastern and midwestern states, including Connecticut. A running spider's front four legs have a dark red color, while its rear four legs are pale. As adults, running spiders have a width of 3 to 10 millimeters (including the legs).
Daring jumping spiders ("Phidippus audux") do not build webs to capture prey. Rather, these spiders perch on a rocky ledge or leaf and wait for their prey to pass underneath them; once they see their prey, jumping spiders jump on them. Jumping spiders are able to jump over 50 times their body length, accomplishing this by increasing blood pressure in their rear four legs.