Giant house spiders are a harmless species belonging to the genus Eratigena. Like their cousins, they don’t have a good vision and can only differentiate between light and dark. Their name comes from the fact that they are commonly found in households most of the time.
Giant House Spider
Size: Females are around 0.7 in (18 mm) while males are 0.39-0.59 in (10-15 mm). The leg span of females is around 2 inch (45-50 mm) while males have 0.9 in-3 in (25-75 mm).
Color: The entire body is beige, brown or orange with sternum having three beige, gray or brown dots on its two sides. The posterior or the opisthosoma has a line with six dots on each side.
Other Characteristic Features: The legs, abdomen, and palps are hairy. Eight eyes are settled in two rows and all are of the same size.
40-60 eggs are released in a single sac.
All spiderlings stays together for around a month. Each of them goes through the molting phase at least 8-10 times before becoming mature.
This spider is unlikely to bite, rather it prefers to escape when threatened; its bite is similar to a bee sting. The pain of agatoxin doesn’t generally last for more than a couple of hours.
Quick Facts |
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Distribution | Northern Africa, Central Asia, and Europe |
Habitat | Rocks or caves of dry forests |
Web Type | Funnel-web |
Poison Fact | Non-toxic to Human |
Diet | Blowflies, fruit flies, moths, wasps, |
Mode of Reproduction | Oviparous |
Number of Eggs | Around 60 |
Lifespan | 2-3 years, sometimes around 6 years |
IUCN Conservation Status | Not listed |
Giant House Spider Web
Image Credits: Allaboutants.net, Falsewidowspider.org.uk, Swlakestrust.org.uk, Static.independent.co.uk, I.ytimg.com, D.ibtimes.co.uk
Giant house spiders are a harmless species belonging to the genus Eratigena. Like their cousins, they don’t have a good vision and can only differentiate between light and dark. Their name comes from the fact that they are commonly found in households most of the time.
Size: Females are around 0.7 in (18 mm) while males are 0.39-0.59 in (10-15 mm). The leg span of females is around 2 inch (45-50 mm) while males have 0.9 in-3 in (25-75 mm).
Color: The entire body is beige, brown or orange with sternum having three beige, gray or brown dots on its two sides. The posterior or the opisthosoma has a line with six dots on each side.
Other Characteristic Features: The legs, abdomen, and palps are hairy. Eight eyes are settled in two rows and all are of the same size.
40-60 eggs are released in a single sac.
All spiderlings stays together for around a month. Each of them goes through the molting phase at least 8-10 times before becoming mature.
This spider is unlikely to bite, rather it prefers to escape when threatened; its bite is similar to a bee sting. The pain of agatoxin doesn’t generally last for more than a couple of hours.
Quick Facts |
|
Distribution | Northern Africa, Central Asia, and Europe |
Habitat | Rocks or caves of dry forests |
Web Type | Funnel-web |
Poison Fact | Non-toxic to Human |
Diet | Blowflies, fruit flies, moths, wasps, |
Mode of Reproduction | Oviparous |
Number of Eggs | Around 60 |
Lifespan | 2-3 years, sometimes around 6 years |
IUCN Conservation Status | Not listed |
Giant House Spider Web
Image Credits: Allaboutants.net, Falsewidowspider.org.uk, Swlakestrust.org.uk, Static.independent.co.uk, I.ytimg.com, D.ibtimes.co.uk