American Nursery Web Spider

The American Nursery Web Spider (Pisaurina mira), is a member of the nursery web spider family Pisauridae. These spiders are widespread in the eastern half of North America, including Indiana. Due to their similar appearance, American nursery web spiders and wolf spiders are frequently confused by humans. Males are shorter than females, measuring only up to 19 millimeters long. Usually brown or brownish in color, they have abdomens that are almost twice as long as their carapaces. Their abdomen patterns might vary, but they often have a light band with two rows of dots or a light band with a dark central band.

Male American nursery web spiders frequently wrap the females' legs with silk to prevent being eaten because females frequently consume males. The females of nursery web spiders solely spin webs to hold their eggs, like other female spiders. Despite being venomous, its bite poses no hazard to humans.