Buzzing spider
During courtship the male vibrates his abdomen against a leaf to make a buzzing sound, a display some older listeners cannot even hear.
| Where | Tree trunks, bark and shrubs |
|---|---|
| Size | Male 4 to 7 mm, female 5 to 9 mm body length |
| When | January to December |
The buzzing spider is a small, pale brown spider marked with darker triangular spots down the middle of the abdomen and a paler border along its sides, a pattern unlike similar spiders sharing its trees and shrubs. Females measure about 5 to 9 mm in body length and males slightly less, at 4 to 7 mm.
It lives on the bark and leaves of broadleaf and coniferous trees, hiding by day in a silk-lined retreat and hunting small insects after dark. During courtship the male drums and buzzes his abdomen against a leaf surface, a vibration display used to attract females before mating.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown
Active
Night
To people
Not dangerous to people; it hides on trees and shrubs and is rarely encountered indoors.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Anyphaena numida carries six black spots across a yellow-brown to red-brown abdomen, rather than the four triangular black spots set against the lighter brown ground colour of the buzzing spider, and close examination is often needed to be certain.
Questions
Is the Buzzing spider dangerous to people?
Not dangerous to people; it hides on trees and shrubs and is rarely encountered indoors.
When can you see the Buzzing spider?
The Buzzing spider can be seen from January to December, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by kaitaaho, CC0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Ghost spiders›Anyphaena
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.