Hello K G,

The whole-spider photo isn’t clear enough to confidently identify it, but the leg close-ups showing fairly well-developed claw tufts and the overall physique suggest it’s some sort of hunting spider, rather than a web-builder. The most common hunting spiders in New York would be wolf spiders, fishing spiders, and nursery web spiders. Each of them can be fairly large and alarming when they surprise you indoors, but are usually harmless to people. The legs close-up also caught one of the pedipalps, which look very different in male and female spiders, and revealed that this spider is a male. Mature male spiders are very active and roam great distances (by spider standards, anyway) in search of females, which sometimes leads to them wandering indoors. The best way to prevent spiders from working their way inside is to diligently close up any narrow cracks, crevices, or gaps in the exterior of the house that the spiders may use to get in. However, because spiders are excellent climbers and can squeeze through narrow openings, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to completely spider-proof a house. If you find large numbers of spiders or find them frequently, you may want to consider working with a pest control company for more thorough solutions; this should not be needed for one or two occasional spiders, though.

While it’s hard to be confident of exactly which species this spider is, there are a couple note-worthy species we can rule out – the widows and recluses, which are the only spiders found in the United States with medically significant bites. Widows are fat-bodied web-spinners; their overall physique is completely different, plus they are predominantly black and red rather than brown. Recluses are about as non-dramatic looking as a spider can possibly get; their general physique is similar to this spider, but they have less conspicuously hairy legs and the legs are completely plain brown, whereas this spider looks like it has faint bands on its legs and the legs are darker at the base than toward the feet. Additionally, the pedipalps do not match that of the recluse species, and the brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) does not range into New York except for maybe an accidental hitchhike. The Mediterranean recluse can be found in New York, but it is not that species.

I hope this information helps! If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to our team's entomologists, Jamie Kopco (<personal data hidden>) or Ryan Selking (<personal data hidden>).