11 COMMON Spiders Found in Sri Lanka! (2025)
What kinds of spiders can you find in Sri Lanka?
Many people are terrified of spiders and find them extremely creepy. This is unfortunate because not only are most spiders completely harmless, but they benefit our environment by controlling the insect population. In fact, without spiders, our food supply would be in serious jeopardy.
Before we begin, I want you to know that the list below is just a fraction of the spiders in Sri Lanka. Because of the sheer number of these arachnids, it would be impossible to cover them all. For example, some estimates claim over 50,000 kinds of spiders on the planet (and the list is still growing)!
In today’s article, I did my best to develop a list of spiders you’re most likely to see.
Here are 11 common SPIDERS that live in Sri Lanka!
#1. Two-striped Telamonia
- Telamonia dimidiata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Females grow to 9–11 mm (0.35–0.43 in), and males can reach a length of 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in).
- Females are light yellow to cream with two red stripes on the abdomen.
- Males are dark brown to black, with a single white stripe in the middle of the abdomen.
You might recognize this spider, which is native to Sri Lanka, from an internet hoax.
Starting in 1999, photos of the Two-striped Telamonia began spreading through email, along with a false story that these spiders hid under toilet seats! The story claimed they were fatally venomous and had many on the edge of their seat. 🙂
Luckily, these stories are all fabricated, and the Two-striped Telemonia isn’t dangerous to humans at all. This species prefers heavily forested tropical areas, so it’s rarely found near people. Plus, even though this species does have venom to immobilize its prey, it’s not potent enough to hurt humans.
#2. Giant Golden Orbweaver
- Nephila pilipes
Identifying Characteristics:
- Females are 30–50 mm (1.1-1.9 in), but their overall size, including their legs, is up to 20 cm (7.9 in).
- Males are much smaller, up to 5–6 mm (0.19-0.23 in).
- Their coloring is a stripy yellow and black with black legs with lighter-colored joints.
Giant Golden Orbweavers prefer habitats with no direct sunlight. This makes them perfectly adapted to live in dense rainforests and jungles. They build webs in bushes and trees near water sources.
Like many spiders, the females of this species are MUCH larger than the males. However, the Giant Golden Orbweaver takes it to a whole new level. Just look at the pair below and how the female dwarfs her partner!
The most surprising thing about this spider in Sri Lanka is that it’s a picky eater!
Incredibly, it only eats a few species of insects and will throw many others out of its web instead of eating them. To ensure they have enough of their preferred food source, they cache desirable food and store it in their webs for later.
Despite their intimidating appearance, Giant Golden Orbweavers aren’t dangerous to humans. Bites are rare, and symptoms are usually mild, involving muscle soreness or tightness. Symptoms go away on their own and don’t usually require medical treatment.
#3. Heavy-bodied Jumping Spider
- Hyllus semicupreus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Females are 8-9 mm (0.31-0.35 in) and males are (7-9 mm 0.27-0.35 in).
- Their coloring is yellowish-brown, and they are covered in spiny hairs.
- This species’ abdomens are large in comparison with their legs.
Heavy-bodied Jumping Spiders may be small, but their looks are no less impressive! These tiny spiders are camouflaged to hide on the tree bark where they spend their lives. Additionally, they’re covered in spiky hairs that help them stay agile in humid, wet weather.
They build webs on the underside of leaves, particularly those of coconut trees. Instead of large webs like a traditional spider, they build round sacs out of thick silk. Males spend their inactive hours inside the sac, and females sometimes do too.
Even though they’re small, these spiders have a large appetite and sometimes consume prey that’s more than twice their size. Grasshoppers, flies, and bees are some of its favorite foods!
#4. Banded Phintella
- Phintella vittata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 6-7 mm (0.23-0.27 in) long.
- They have striped bodies and black legs, which are short compared to their abdomens.
Look for the Banded Phintella in leaf litter and buildings in tropical climates. Like other jumping spiders in Sri Lanka, this species doesn’t build a web, instead hunting for its prey on the forest floor. However, they still need shelter from larger predators.
During the nighttime, they hide in enclosed structures woven from fibers or underneath debris on the forest floor. Then, once the sun rises, the Banded Phintella uses its excellent vision to find prey and evade predators. Of course, having the ability to leap several times its body length doesn’t hurt either!
These fascinating spiders aren’t only remarkable because of their hunting skills. Banded Phintellas also have striking opalescent bands on their abdomens, making them look like small jewels! The bands reflect sunlight, which gives them their shimmering quality. Males of the species use their reflective abilities to attract a mate, sort of like a flashy suit. 🙂
#5. Common Housefly Catcher
- Plexippus petersi
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are 6-10 mm (0.24-0.39 in) long, and females are around 10 mm (0.4 in) long.
- Their coloring is brown overall, with four black oval spots on the back.
- The legs and bodies of this species are covered in hair.
Don’t break out the insecticide if you see this spider in Sri Lanka!
The Common Housefly Catcher is frequently found in homes and commercial cropland, but this spider is there for one thing only – to eat pests.
This species is incredibly skilled at hunting mosquitos and other pest insects, making it one of the most helpful spiders around. It often inhabits areas with large pest populations. Fields infested with fly larvae and homes with bug problems are common habitats.
Common Housefly Catchers have even proven their usefulness in pest control studies! In investigations into whether this species could be used to control houseflies, they reduced the population significantly. So even if spiders aren’t your favorite animal, just remember that this one is doing you a favor by sticking around. 🙂
#6. Red Weaver Ant-mimicking Spider
- Myrmaplata plataleoides
Identifying Characteristics:
- Females are 6–7 mm (0.23-0.27 in), and males are about 9–12 mm (0.35-0.47 in).
- Their coloring is pale blonde to dark brown, and they have unusually long bodies.
- They have long, spindly legs.
Even up close, it’s almost impossible to tell that this species is a spider at all!
The Red Weaver Ant-mimicking Spider is so good at disguising itself that it’s hard to tell it apart from the weaver ant it impersonates. Take a look at the Red Weaver Ants below, and you’ll see what I mean!
Their mimicry serves to protect the Red Weaver Ant-mimicking Spider from predators in a few ways. First, Red Weaver Ants are often aggressive, attacking predators in groups. Also, Red Weaver Ants taste terrible and have a painful bite. So for a timid, harmless spider like our impostor, taking on the appearance of a much more aggressive species helps keep it safe.
In addition to its looks, this spider will steal from the brood of the Red Weaver Ant to disguise its own smell, warding off predators even more. However, if the Red Weaver Ant-mimicking Spider is confronted by the ants it mimics, it will run away.
#7. Oriental Spiny Orb-Weaver
- Gasteracantha geminata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are up to 30 mm (1.18 in) wide.
- This species has a hardened abdomen with spikes on the side.
- Its coloring is white, with black lines that run horizontally across the body. Its legs are black.
If you see an Oriental Spiny Orb-weaver, you may have a hard time believing it’s a spider at all!
This species looks more like a crab with its hardened shell and oblong shape. However, because it doesn’t have potent venom, its spiny shell protects it from predators looking for a meal.
Oriental Spiny Orb-weavers spend much of their time in their webs, which they build between tall bushes. You’re likely to find these spiders in Sri Lanka in forested, rural areas.
Like other species of spiders, Oriental Spiny Orb-weavers don’t have long lifespans. They live only until reproduction is complete, and once the spider’s young have hatched from their egg sac, this species dies off.
#8. Adanson’s House Jumper
- Hasarius adansoni
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have more colorful bodies, with black abdomen color and two white crescents on their bodies. They grow up to 6 mm (0.23 in).
- Females are dark brown and don’t have any noticeable pattern, and are about 8 mm (0.31 in) long.
- Both sexes have long legs covered with spines and hairs.
The Adanson’s House Jumper lives in warm climates all over Sri Lanka. Its natural habitats include woodland and low vegetation, but since they are highly adaptable, they can be found in any terrestrial area.
Although they can reuse their nests, they usually build new ones each night. Their webs are relatively small, about twice the size of the spider. The Adanson’s House Jumper is quite sociable and can be seen grouped in bigger numbers.
One of the most interesting traits of this species is its ability to jump incredible distances. They hunt by leaping several centimeters onto their prey, grabbing them, and injecting venom by bite.
#9. Pantropical Jumping Spider
- Plexippus paykulli
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adult females range from 9-12 mm (0.35-0.47 in) long, while adult males range from 9-11 mm (0.35-0.43 in) long.
- Females are brownish gray and darker on their back and head, especially around the eyes, and have a broad tan stripe that extends onto the abdomen.
- Males are black with a broad white central stripe and two white spots near the rear of the abdomen.
Pantropical Jumping Spiders live near buildings, in citrus groves, and in cotton fields. They cleverly spend time around light sources that attract insect prey.
Unlike many spiders in Sri Lanka, Pantropical Jumping Spiders do not construct a web. Instead, they construct silken retreats, often in the corner of a ceiling or other elevated position. They use this retreat to rest and hide between hunting.
Although they look incredibly dangerous, Pantropical Jumping Spiders will only bite if handled roughly. Their bites are relatively harmless and may resemble a bee sting or be even milder.
#10. Pantropical Huntsman Spider
- Heteropoda venatoria
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are between 2.2 and 2.8 cm (0.86-1.10 in) long with a leg span of 7-12 cm (2.8-4.72 in).
- Females have larger bodies, and males have longer legs.
- Both sexes are brown with yellow or cream markings and distinct black spots on their legs.
The Pantropical Huntsman Spider is native to Sri Lanka but is a bit of a world traveler! They’re often called banana spiders because they hitch a ride in tropical fruit imports, making their way to other parts of the world. These fearsome-looking spiders thrive in areas with warm climates but are occasionally found in greenhouses and heated buildings in temperate climates.
Because of their need for warmth, Pantropical Huntsman Spiders slip into small cracks and crevices around homes, barns, and sheds. Luckily, they’re most active at night, so your chances of disturbing one are fairly low. Additionally, their venom is not dangerous to humans. However, they can deliver a painful bite that might swell and turn red.
As you may have guessed from their name, this species is an accomplished predator. Instead of trapping prey in webs, they rely on their speed and strength, grabbing prey with their jaws and injecting venom into it. In fact, people in many tropical countries like them because they feed on cockroaches and other pests.
#11. Gray Wall Jumping Spider
- Menemerus bivittatus
Identifying Characteristics:
- This species has a flattened torso and short, thick, greyish-white hair. Tufts of dark brown hair grow close to the eyes.
- The male has a brownish-white stripe on each side of the abdomen and a black dorsal stripe.
- The female has a larger abdomen and is typically lighter brown. In addition, her abdomen is rimmed with broad black stripes that come together at the end.
- Both sexes are about 9 mm (0.3 in) long, but males are usually slightly smaller.
The Gray Wall Jumping Spider is native to Sri Lanka but has since spread worldwide. It frequently appears on the exterior of buildings or tree trunks in gardens.
Instead of weaving a web around their prey, the Gray Wall Jumping spider stalks the prey before springing on it to attack. Their wide eyes and visual acuity allow them to focus easily on objects and distinguish between different colors. And, using their exceptional jumping ability, they can seize their prey in the blink of an eye.
Interestingly, male Gray Wall Jumping Spiders can produce sounds as part of courtship behavior. The hairs on their femurs and the teeth on the chelicerae (small claws on the front of the mouth) make clicking noises that attract females. These sounds are too low and quiet for humans to hear, but it isn’t hard to imagine the creepy noise!
Check out these other guides about animals found in Sri Lanka!
-
The 8 MOST Common Birds in Sri Lanka!
-
Venomous Snakes That Live in Sri Lanka! (ID Guide)
-
VENOMOUS SNAKES that live in Sri Lanka
Which of these spiders have you seen before in Sri Lanka?
Leave a comment below!
