A living guide to Kauaʻi
Insects, Spiders & Relatives of Kauaʻi
Explore the island’s native and introduced species, habitats, watersheds and conservation work. Each record connects its description, images and sources with the interactive Atlas.
Page 1 of 11
Ninja-star Ceiling Spider
Zosis geniculata
Ninja-star Ceiling Spider (Zosis geniculata) belongs to Uloboridae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Paratheuma makai
Paratheuma makai
Paratheuma makai belongs to Desidae in the order Araneae.
Grey House Spider
Badumna longinqua
Grey House Spider (Badumna longinqua) belongs to Desidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Pedinopistha stigmatica
Pedinopistha stigmatica
Pedinopistha stigmatica belongs to Philodromidae in the order Araneae.
Kauaʻi Cave Wolf Spider
Adelocosa anops
Kauaʻi Cave Wolf Spider (Adelocosa anops) belongs to Lycosidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Striped Lynx Spider
Oxyopes salticus
Striped Lynx Spider (Oxyopes salticus) belongs to Oxyopidae in the order Araneae.
Pantropical Huntsman Spider
Heteropoda venatoria
Pantropical Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria) belongs to Sparassidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Brown Widow
Latrodectus geometricus
Brown Widow (Latrodectus geometricus) belongs to Theridiidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Black Cobweb Spider
Steatoda capensis
Black Cobweb Spider (Steatoda capensis) belongs to Theridiidae in the order Araneae.
False Black Widow
Steatoda grossa
False Black Widow (Steatoda grossa) belongs to Theridiidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Red House Spider
Nesticodes rufipes
Red House Spider (Nesticodes rufipes) belongs to Theridiidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Asian Spinybacked Orbweaver
Thelacantha brevispina
Asian Spinybacked Orbweaver (Thelacantha brevispina) belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Spinybacked Orbweaver
Gasteracantha cancriformis
Spinybacked Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Hawaiian Garden Spider
Argiope appensa
Hawaiian Garden Spider (Argiope appensa) belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is origin disputed.
Banded Garden Spider
Argiope trifasciata
Banded Garden Spider (Argiope trifasciata) belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae.
Araneus emmae
Araneus emmae
Araneus emmae belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae.
Common Web-Spider
Neoscona theisi
Common Web-Spider (Neoscona theisi) belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Spotted Orbweaver
Neoscona crucifera
Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona crucifera) belongs to Araneidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Tetragnatha hawaiensis
Tetragnatha hawaiensis
Tetragnatha hawaiensis belongs to Tetragnathidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Tetragnatha kauaiensis
Tetragnatha kauaiensis
Tetragnatha kauaiensis belongs to Tetragnathidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Tetragnatha maka
Tetragnatha maka
Tetragnatha maka belongs to Tetragnathidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Tetragnatha pilosa
Tetragnatha pilosa
Tetragnatha pilosa belongs to Tetragnathidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Doryonychus raptor
Doryonychus raptor
Doryonychus raptor belongs to Tetragnathidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Mecaphesa anguliventris
Mecaphesa anguliventris
Mecaphesa anguliventris belongs to Thomisidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Mecaphesa oreades
Mecaphesa oreades
This Hawaiian crab spider was treated as Misumenops oreades in Suman’s revision.
Mecaphesa arida
Mecaphesa arida
Mecaphesa arida belongs to Thomisidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Mecaphesa naevigera
Mecaphesa naevigera
Older literature treats this crab spider as Synaema naevigerum.
Messua felix
Messua felix
Messua felix belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax) belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Myrmarachne nigella
Myrmarachne nigella
Myrmarachne nigella belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Adanson's House Jumper
Hasarius adansoni
Adanson's House Jumper (Hasarius adansoni) belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Gray Wall Jumping Spider
Menemerus bivittatus
Gray Wall Jumping Spider (Menemerus bivittatus) belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Ascyltus pterygodes
Ascyltus pterygodes
Ascyltus pterygodes is a large jumping spider with prominent, iridescent cheek areas and large divergent jaws.
Common Housefly Catcher
Plexippus petersi
Plexippus petersi is a visually hunting jumping spider.
Pantropical Jumping Spider
Plexippus paykulli
Pantropical Jumping Spider (Plexippus paykulli) belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Havaika jamiesoni
Havaika jamiesoni
Havaika jamiesoni belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Havaika kauaiensis
Havaika kauaiensis
Havaika kauaiensis belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Habronattus pyrrithrix
Habronattus pyrrithrix
Habronattus pyrrithrix belongs to Salticidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Giant Cellar Spider
Artema atlanta
Giant Cellar Spider (Artema atlanta) belongs to Pholcidae in the order Araneae.
Pale Cellar Spider
Smeringopus pallidus
Smeringopus pallidus is a long-legged cellar spider with a narrow, elongated abdomen marked by paired purplish spots.
Long-legged Spitting Spider
Scytodes longipes
Long-legged Spitting Spider (Scytodes longipes) belongs to Scytodidae in the order Araneae.
Woodlouse Spider
Dysdera crocata
Woodlouse Spider (Dysdera crocata) belongs to Dysderidae in the order Araneae. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Lesser Brown Scorpion
Isometrus maculatus
Isometrus maculatus is a scorpion, with grasping pincers and a segmented tail ending in a sting.
Aculus broussaisiae
Aculus broussaisiae
Aculus broussaisiae belongs to Eriophyidae in the order Trombidiformes.
Litchi Mite
Aceria litchii
Litchi Mite (Aceria litchii) belongs to Eriophyidae in the order Trombidiformes. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Coconut Mite
Aceria guerreronis
Coconut Mite (Aceria guerreronis) belongs to Eriophyidae in the order Trombidiformes. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Ledermuelleriopsis plumosus
Ledermuelleriopsis plumosus
Ledermuelleriopsis plumosus belongs to Stigmaeidae in the order Trombidiformes. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Carposina cervinella
Carposina cervinella
Carposina cervinella was described as Heterocrossa cervinella from Kauaʻi mountain specimens, including Kaholuamano at about 4,000 feet.
Carposina divaricata
Carposina divaricata
Swezey’s forest-entomology account, under the older name Heterocrossa divaricata, reports larvae feeding in Elaeocarpus seeds and adults reared from Syzygium fruit on Oʻahu.
Carposina graminis
Carposina graminis
Carposina graminis belongs to Carposinidae in the order Lepidoptera.
Carposina urbanae
Carposina urbanae
Carposina urbanae belongs to Carposinidae in the order Lepidoptera.
Carposina gracillima
Carposina gracillima
Carposina gracillima was recorded as Heterocrossa gracillima in the historical forest-entomology literature.
Blackberry Skeletonizer
Schreckensteinia festaliella
Blackberry Skeletonizer (Schreckensteinia festaliella) belongs to Schreckensteiniidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Cacocharis cymotoma
Cacocharis cymotoma
Cacocharis cymotoma belongs to Epermeniidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Episimus unguiculus
Episimus unguiculus
Episimus unguiculus belongs to Tortricidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Crocidosema mawaena
Crocidosema mawaena
Crocidosema mawaena was described in the 2025 review of Hawaiian Crocidosema as a previously unrecognized native species.
Lantana Flower-Cluster Moth
Crocidosema lantana
Lantana Flower-Cluster Moth (Crocidosema lantana) belongs to Tortricidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is introduced.
Eccoptocera kukona
Eccoptocera kukona
Eccoptocera kukona belongs to Tortricidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Eccoptocera iwipookua
Eccoptocera iwipookua
Eccoptocera iwipookua belongs to Tortricidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
Cryptophlebia alaula
Cryptophlebia alaula
Cryptophlebia alaula belongs to Tortricidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status is endemic.
