Crab spiders have flat and angular bodies. They can move backward and sideways like crabs because of their outward front legs. Crab spiders form the family Thomisidae, which has more than 30 species in Wisconsin. Some of these species can present white bodies, including the genus Xysticus, as well as Misumenops celer, Misumenoides formosipes and Misumena vatia.
Part of the small family Anyphaenidae, ghost spiders are widely spread in the Americas but also found in Europe and South Africa. The garden ghost spider (Hibana gracilis) is white to yellow and sometimes shows stripes on the back. The Wulfila saltabundus, with its white, translucent ghostlike appearance, gave the name to the family.
Orb weavers are spiders of the family Araneidea, the most common spiders in the world, with more than 3,000 species. Wisconsin is home to more than 40 species of orb weavers, which build the prototypical round-shaped web. White spiders in this family found in Wisconsin include Araneus nordmanni, Argiope sp, Larinia borealis, Mangora gibberosa, Neoscona oaxacensisthe and the humpbacked orb-weaver (Eustala anastera).
Part of the family Salticidae, jumping spiders are the largest in the world, with more than 60 species in Wisconsin. The habit of jumping to move gives name to the family, members of which also feature a distinctive eye pattern: four pairs of eyes, two of them much bigger than the others. White jumping spider species found in Wisconsin include Platycryptus undatus and Salticus scenicus, which is also called the zebra spider because of its black stripes across the white body. Sac spiders form the family Clubionidae, which build silken sacs or shelters under leaves or rocks. The group has some white representatives in Wisconsin, within the genus Clubiona.