24 Spiders With Stripes on The Back (White, Yellow, Black Stripes)

Striped spiders are found all around the world from temperate to tropical climates.

Known for their striking or contrasting appearance, these types of spiders often rely on their camouflaging appearance to lure in more potential insects and bugs.

Much of their appearance is subject to climate. They can take on a striped appearance when living in woodlands or grasslands.

Even spiders likely to be found in homes can have a striped thorax and abdomen.

The back of the spider is comprised of its thorax or cephalothorax (its head and thorax) as well as its abdomen.

Many species only show stripes on a small part of their bodies. Some have a striped abdomen while others have a striped thorax and abdomen.

Small color differences can be seen between the males and females of the same species.

Spiders often show stripes only in the case of males and females.

The following species are striped at least in the case of the male or the female. Many of these spider species show stripes both in the case of males and females.

Here’s how these stripes look, including their color variabilities across genders and morphs of some of the most numerous spiders in the world.

1. American Nursery Web Spider

American Nursery Web Spider

The American Nursery Web Spider (Pisaurina mira) is one of the typical species with stripes on the back. 2 rows of white stripes are mostly visible on this spider.

Rows of white stripes are seen both on its cephalothorax and on its abdomen. Other white stripes are seen across its bright body.

While it looks apart, The American Nursery Web Spider is often a sought-after species on crops.

Feeding on various bugs and insects, The American Nursery Web Spider is known to control many invasive or simply detrimental species.

It helps control grasshopper populations but it may consume different types of pest bugs on plants as well.

The beginning of the summer and of the fall mark peak of American Nursery Web Spider activity.

The color of the stripes – white, brown, tan

2. Banded Garden Spider

Banded Garden Spider

One of the easy-to-spot spiders with stripes is the garden-bound Banded Garden Spider (Argiope trifasciata).

As its name implies, bands are its most distinctive physical characteristic.

Yellow, white, and black alternating bands are seen on the abdomen of this spider.

These stripes of bands are only specific to the underside of the female as its dorsal coloring is mostly characterized by irregularly-shaped spots.

Spiders of this genus often build large spider webs in gardens. It’s the female that dictates the location of the species.

Male Banded Garden Spiders are smaller and resort to finding a suitable place to build their miniature spider webs close to the large spider web of the dominating female.

The color of the stripes – white, yellow, black

3. Rabid Wolf Spider

Rabid Wolf Spider

The striped appearance of The Rabid Wolf Spider (Rabidosa rabida) makes it instantly recognizable.

Spiders of this family show some of the widest stripes of all spiders. Its cephalothorax is marked by 2 wide dark brown stripes.

Its abdomen has only 1 stripe, but it is considerably wider than those on the cephalothorax.

Both males and females share a similar look, but not a similar size.

Female Rabid Wolf Spiders are almost twice as large as males and only grow to a maximum size of up to 0.5 inches.

Seen in fields and particularly in wooded areas, these spiders have adapted so that their striped appearance helps them camouflage themselves.

The color of the stripes – dark brown, brown

4. Zebra Jumping Spider

Zebra Jumping Spider

A mostly black or dark brown appearance with white stripes is specific to Zebra Jumping Spiders (Salticus scenicus).

The name of the species indicates the alternating black and white coloring of the species plus its capacity to jump.

Black and white hairs are the attribute of these spiders and can be further seen along its legs, apart from the wide stripes on the abdomen and thorax.

The black legs of these jumping spiders are contrasted by short and scarce white hairs.

While both males and females have a similar appearance, the number of white hairs differs from one to another.

Females of the species show extra white sections across the body.

The capacity to jump helps these spiders ambush different other species. Zebra Jumping Spiders eat other smaller species of spiders.

The color of the stripes – white

5. Six-spotted Fishing Spider

Six-spotted Fishing Spider

A striped appearance is specific to the dorsum of Six-spotted Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes triton) while its ventral side is characterized by a spotted appearance.

Lateral stripes are spotted on the sides of its cephalothorax as well as on its abdomen.

This is a species that shows dark brown coloring, black spots, and white lateral stripes on the lateral sides of the cephalothorax and the abdomen.

White color is only specific to these stripes in the early stages of their life, as most Six-spotted Fishing Spiders reaching an adult stage show off-white or cream color to these stripes.

The same off-white or cream nuance is further seen on the spots on its legs or its ventral side.

The color of the stripes – white, off-white, cream

6. Bronze Jumping Spider

Bronze Jumping Spider

Bronze Jumping Spiders (Eris militaris) show different types of stripes between males and females.

The sexes of the species show different nuances as well.

Darker male Bronze Jumping Spiders show white or cream stripes on the sides of the cephalothorax and of the abdomen.

These are wide bands comprised of short bright hairs.

Females of the species are brighter and only have lateral stripes on the abdomen. Unlike males, females also show narrow interrupted stripes that go across the abdomen.

While the female lacks all of the stripes of the male and is also brighter, it has a larger body almost twice the size of the male.

The color of the stripes – white, cream

7. White-jawed Jumping Spider

White-jawed Jumping Spider

A species named after its white legs and stripes, The White-jawed Jumping Spider (Hentzia mitrata) is one of the brighter spiders with stripes.

2 wide yellow bands are seen on its abdomen while the remaining white base color forms 3 narrow stripes.

There are lateral white stripes on its yellow thorax as well. This is a species that also has white or translucent white legs.

Its legs tend to have a paler white appearance compared to the white stripes on its abdomen.

The front pair of white legs of these arachnids look like large jaws and further help identify the species.

The color of the stripes – white, yellow

8. Gray Wall Jumping Spider

Gray Wall Jumping Spider

Male and female Gray Wall Jumping Spiders (Menemerus bivittatus) have a contrasting appearance with stripes.

A darker color is specific to males which have a dark brown band in the central area of the abdomen and white stripes to the sides of the abdomen.

There are no stripes on the thorax of males.

Females are brighter, almost white. They show dark brown to black stripes along the sides of the cephalothorax and of the abdomen.

These hairy spiders are found all across North America as their region is mostly limited to the Southern States as well as to Central and South America.

Spiders of the species jump on insects as they don’t build spider webs.

The color of the stripes – brown, white, black

9. Dimorphic Jumping Spider

Dimorphic Jumping Spider (female)

Females and gray morph Dimorphic Jumping Spiders (Maevia inclemens) have stripes.

The female of the species shows white stripes along the sides of the abdomen and right under the eyes.

Males of a gray morph also show thin white-to-gray stripes along the thorax and orange zig-zag bands along the abdomen.

Dark brown or black stripes are also seen on the gray legs of their legs.

While the male of the species can come in different gray or black morphs, it turns out they also have different behavior.

Many of their movements and dietary preferences can be different.

This was also one of the causes which may have led to the assumption gray and black male Dimorphic Humping Spiders are part of different species.

The color of the stripes – white, gray, black

10. Sylvan Jumping Spider

Sylvan Jumping Spider

White stripes are specific to male and female Sylvan Jumping Spiders (Colonus sylvanus) despite their considerable physical differences.

Males are darker, showing a combination of black and brown colors while females are pale, almost white.

White stripes are specific to the light brown abdomen of the male. A faint white line is also seen just below its eyes on its red-brown thorax.

Females have a pale orange color with 3 white stripes on the abdomen. Its pale color and white stripes are contrasted by small black dots.

Found in parks, gardens, and woodlands, Sylvan Jumping Spiders are seen across different areas of The Americas.

The color of the stripes – white

11. Johnson’s Jumping Spider

Johnson’s Jumping Spider

One of the most common striped spiders in North America is known as Johnson’s Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni).

A well-researched species for its resilience, this type of spider is known to make silk nests under rocks and other objects in gardens or woodlands.

Most importantly, it comes with a striped or banded abdomen appearance in the case of females.

A black cephalothorax is completed with black legs while the abdomen of the female is orange-red with a dark central stripe.

Males have a similar appearance with a plain abdomen as they lack the wide stripe seen on the female’s abdomen.

Also larger than males, female Jphnson’s Jumping Spiders often eat males soon after breeding.

The color of the stripes – black

12. Bowl-and-doily Spider

Bowl-and-doily Spider

White and brown stripes across the abdomen are characteristic of the well-researched Bowl-and-doily Spider (Frontinella pyramitela).

The brown nuance of this species has an amber undertone and it is present across its thorax, head, and legs.

The same nuance is seen in a wide vertical stripe across the center of the abdomen while the sides are flanked by white stripes.

Some patterns may be different from males to females but the sexes share the same colors.

This is also one of the most surprising species in terms of memory capacity as it can return to places it finds food.

Gnats and other flies are among its favorite types of prey.

The color of the stripes – brown, white

13. Common Hentz Jumping Spider

Common Hentz Jumping Spider

A contrasting appearance with a dark body and white stripes is only specific to The Common Hentz Jumping Spider (Hentzia palmarum).

A white stripe going along the thorax is seen on the male spider which has a bronze-brown base color.

A similar white stripe is seen on each side of its dark brown abdomen.

This is also one of the contrasting spider species with legs of different colors. While its front legs are dark brown, its rear leg pairs are pale yellow.

The female of the species has a pale appearance with mottling around the thorax and abdomen and distinctive stripes seen on males.

The color of the stripes – white

14. Joro Spider

Joro Spider

Joro Spiders (Trichonephila clavata) have a contrasting striped appearance. Females show a striped abdomen and striped contrasting legs.

Blue and yellow stripes along the abdomen are characteristic of the female.

Found in North America, Joro Spiders is an introduced species in some states as it is believed to eat pest bugs.

The results of its introduction are still largely unknown in many states.

These striped spiders are among the introduced species in The US to control crop-invading stink bugs.

The color of the stripes – yellow

15. Brilliant Jumping Spider

Brilliant Jumping Spider

The appearance of The Brilliant Jumping Spider (Phidippus clarus) varies according to gender and its region in North America.

This spider may have a dull appearance in the West, but it has a contrasting striped appearance in the East.

Black and red colors are specific to the male. It shows a red abdomen with a black central stripe.

Females have black and brown stripes across the thorax and a red-brown abdomen with a central stripe, similar to males.

Western territories females have a light gray base color with a white stripe across the margins of the upper and lateral abdomen.

The color of the stripes – black, white

16. Pantropical Jumping Spider

Pantropical Jumping Spider

A similar dark appearance is specific to male and female stripes Pantropical Jumping Spiders (Plexippus paykulli).

As its name suggests, this species is native to tropical and sub-tropical climates but it has now made its way to North America as well.

A striped appearance is specific to the dark gray-brown female. It shows a bright gray stripe across the abdomen and a similar stripe across the thorax.

Males have an even darker brown appearance, closer to black. They show white stripes across the thorax and abdomen.

The color of the stripes – white, brown

17. Common White-cheeked Jumping Spider

Common White-cheeked Jumping Spider

A striped appearance is also characteristic of The Common White-cheeked Jumping Spiders (Pelegrina proterva).

While there’s considerable color variation in the species, these spiders also show stripes both on the thorax and on the abdomen.

A lateral stripe runs along the thorax with a similar white strip running along the margins of the abdomen.

In some females, the white stripe across the abdomen is backed by brown margins.

The color of the stripes – white, cream

18. Dotted Wolf Spider

Dotted Wolf Spider

Tan and brown colors are dominant on the Dotted Wolf Spiders (Rabidosa punctulata).

These nocturnal spiders have a tan or light brown base color contrasted by dark brown stripes.

Brown stripes are seen both on its thorax and on its abdomen.

The name of the species is derived from the ventral spotted abdomen.

Its ventral side shows a yellow-to-white color with dark brown spots.

Some morphs of this species also show additional yellow stripes along the brown stripes of the abdomen, depending on its region.

However, less color variability is specific to these spiders compared to other striped spiders such as The Brilliant Jumping Spider.

The color of the stripes – dark brown

19. Oblong Running Spider

Oblong Running Spider

An elongated bright body is specific to The Oblong Running Spider (Tibellus oblongus).

This is a species with a light brown color and a contrasting dark brown stripe that runs across the thorax and to the tip of the abdomen.

This stripe is more visible on its brighter abdomen than on its thorax.

Additional tan stripes are seen along its central abdomen stripe together with small brown spots.

The color of the stripes – brown, white

20. Red-spotted Ant-mimic Sac Spider

Red-spotted Ant-mimic Sac Spider

Sometimes mistaken as The Black Widow, this black and red spider (Castianeira descripta) has a unique appearance and a larger size compared to the popular venomous spider.

Red-spotted Ant-mimic Sac Spiders mimic ants in movements.

They have a mostly black appearance and a black abdomen that features a wide red stripe. The color of the stripe is dark red and it appears darker than the bright red hourglass marking of The Black Widow.

The color of the stripes – dark red

21. Common Stretch Spider

Common Stretch Spider

An atypical appearance is specific to The Common Stretch Spider (Tetragnatha extensa).

Named after its elongated abdomen that seems stretched, this spider has a brown thorax and a green abdomen that matches the plants it lives on.

Numerous vertical and horizontal black stripes are seen on its dark green abdomen.

Most importantly, 2 bright green stripes run from the thorax to the tip of the abdomen. These stripes darken towards the tip of the abdomen.

Males of the species also show a bright band across the brown thorax.

The color of the stripes – green, black, brown

22. Two-lined Stealthy Ground Spider

Two-lined Stealthy Ground Spider

Named after its contrasting striped appearance, this spider (Cesonia bilineata) also has an elongated body shape.

Both its thorax and abdomen are narrow and elongated. They show 2 black stripes on a white background.

Pale yellow to red legs contrast the appearance of this species.

A North American Native, this species shows little coloring variation. Its legs may be the only parts of its body that come in different colors.

The color of the stripes – black

23. Orange Ant-mimic Sac Spider

Orange Ant-mimic Sac Spider

A spider that mimics ants’ colors, shapes, and movements, Orange Ant-mimic Sac Spiders (Castianeira amoena) have an orange-brown color and a striped abdomen.

The abdomen shows an orange-brown color with black interrupted stripes.

Its thorax has a similar base nuance but without any stripes. Orange and black stripes are further seen across its legs.

Some morphs come in a base yellow-orange color but even these versions have interrupted dark brown or black stripes across the abdomen.

The legs of the species show higher color variation. Most morphs of the spider have striped legs in 2-3 colors such as pale yellow, orange-brown, and black.

The color of the stripes – dark brown, black

24. Straight-banded Nursery Web Spider

Straight-banded Nursery Web Spider

A species often living in dense vegetation, The Straight-banded Nursery Web Spider (Pisaurina brevipes) has wide yellow or cream stripes.

These stripes run from the thorax to the tip of the abdomen.

Mostly dark brown, this spider shows highly contrasting stripes. Some areas of the stripes are white, which means they are highly visible.

The legs of the species have a brown color with dark brown specs.

Female Straight-banded Nursery Web Spiders are larger than males. They also have white borders on the inner side of the stripes both on the cephalothorax and on the abdomen.

The color of the stripes – yellow, cream, white

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