What are the top three poisonous spiders in the US?

Question

a friend of mine and I r having a debate about which r the top three. she says= tarantula, black widow, and daddy long leg. I say= black widow, daddy long leg, and brown recluse. whos right, or r we both wrong?

Answer 1

Almost all spiders are venomous, none are poisonous, and very few are dangerous.

1. Black widow (3 species in the Latrodecus genus).

This spider and it's relatives are responsible for the most deaths around the world. They have a very potent neurotoxin that is delivered in small dosages (attacks the nervous system) and has the highest death rate at 5%. Black widows are not aggressive and usualy bite because of people picking them up and messing with them. There are also 2 relatives of the Black Widow in the US; the Red Widow and the Brown Widow, which has the same kind of venom but not as potent.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/1999

2. Brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa)

Introduced species from South America that is notorious for hiding inside cardboard boxes and stored clothing and getting shipped to other parts of the United States. They are now endemic to the Central South region of the United States, but they have formed isolated populations in Florida. The venom is a potent neurotoxin (killing the skin and tissues around the bite location) that can leave wounds that take months to heal. However, there have only been a very few deaths from this spider, which were children who were bitten in vital areas. I would say that these spiders are the most over hyped spider, because confirmed cases of them getting shipped are very rare, yet bite report claims come in from across the continent in the thousands per year. There is a long list of ailments that can produce wounds identical to recluse bites. Only about 13 cases have been positively ID'd outside of the natural range. They are also non-aggressive and will only bite when paniced, usualy trapped in clothing a person is in the process of putting on.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/33493

3. Hobo spider (Tegenaria agrestis)

Uncommon spider that is poorly understood. Decent necrotic bites have been blamed on the Hobo spider, but actual research has been inconclusive on how potent the venom is. There are also many relatives of the spider that are known to be harmless that look almost identical. These relatives are also known to be predators of the hobo spider. The hobo spider naturally lives in the northwest United States and southwest Canada. It is known that the hobo spider is not aggressive.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/31446

Daddy long legs spider (Pholcus phalangioides)

Also known as the Cellar spider and is not to be confused with the non-spider arachnid Daddy long legs (order Opiliones)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2405

This spider is often quoted as having "the most potent venom but fangs too small to bite".  This is not true.  The spider can actually bite you and the venom is very weak.  Mythbusters episode 13 busted the myth, Adam was bitten after lots of provoking and he reported a brief burning sensation.  They are harmless and very common spiders in homes.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/9610

Tarantulas (900 species in the Family Theraphosidae)

Tarantulas are generally considered non-dangerous.  The bottom line is that there has never been a death from any tarantula bite.  Some species of tarantulas from southeast Asia can give potent bites that may require hospitalization, but are not life threatening.  The only tarantulas endemic to the United States are of the Aphonopelma genus, and they have weaker venom thats "no worse than a bee sting" and are often called good pets for beginner tarantula keepers.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/34693

All in all, you have much bigger things to worry about than any of the above.

Answer 2

The most poisonous is the Northern Widow (a type of black widow), then is the Brown Recluse, then the Common Sac Spider. The first 2 are very dangerous,  while the common sac isn't as dangerous.  

Answer 3

L. reclusa and L. rufescens are the two most venomous recluse spiders.  The L. reclusa is the brown recluse, not sure what the L. rufescens is except that it is a recluse spider.

The other would be the black widow .... Latrodectus mactans

Answer 4

Black Widow for sure Brown Recluse is most likely up there. Daddy Long Legs are actually and arachnid called a Harvestman and not poisonous at all.

Answer 5

You're both wrong, the top three venomous spiders in the U.S. are the black widow, the brown recluse, and the hobo spider, which is similar to brown recluses, a fourth one would be the yellow sac spider, but it's not nearly as poisonous as the top two.

Why not your daddy-longlegs? There's confusion between harvestmen arachnids, and the spiders that we call daddy longlegs. here's a link explaining this:

http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.htm...

Answer 6

The Brown Recluse is the most poisonous, followed by the Black Widow. It's a myth that Daddy Long Legs are poisonous. Tarantulas are poisonous but their poison isn't that strong.

Answer 7

I would say Black widow, brown recluse i dont know the others but Daddy long legs arent venomous ive been bitten by them may times while handeling.