crosleads.blogg.se - Are hobo spiders poisonous

If the spider instead has three or four pairs of light spots on the lateral portions of the sternum, then it is one of the other two related Eratigena species.

Hobo spiders have a light stripe running down the middle of the sternum.

The abdomen has chevron (V-shaped) patterns (possibly many of them) down the middle, with the chevrons pointing towards the head.

Hobo spiders lack the colored bands found on many spiders of the family Agelenidae where the leg joints meet.

However, the following characteristics identify hobo spiders among other species with a similar general appearance: Like many species of spider the positive identification of Eratigena agrestis requires microscopic examination of the epigynum and palpal bulb (the female and male sex organs respectively) and is best done by an arachnologist. Identification relies on an examination of the spider’s anatomy. The hobo spider is 7–14 mm in body length, and brownish in color. Spiders, including the hobo spider, vary considerably in appearance, and identification can be difficult.

In 2013, Tegenaria was split up, and the hobo spider was transferred to a new genus Eratigena, an anagram of Tegenaria.

In 1841, Walckenaer transferred the species to the genus Tegenaria. The species was first described in 1802 by naturalist Charles Athanase Walckenaer as Aranea agrestis, in reference to its western European habitat in fields, woods, and under rocks. After the male hobo spider mates it dies. The hobo spider lays its eggs in September and they hatch during late spring. Hobo spiders sometimes build their webs in or around human habitations.

Individuals construct a funnel-shaped structure of silk sheeting and lie in wait at the small end of the funnel for prey insects to blunder onto their webs. The hobo spider ( Eratigena agrestis, formerly Tegenaria agrestis) is a member of the family of spiders known colloquially as funnel web spiders, but not to be confused with the Australian funnel-web spider.