Tegenaria

Tegenaria genus of the funnel weaver family has a total of 106 species as recorded in April 2019. Most of the spiders occupy a large part of the Northern Hemisphere apart from Indonesia and Japan. The genus had even more species than its present numbers, with the majority of them like the hobo spider and giant house spider shifted to the Eratigena genus.

Tegenaria Spider

Scientific Classification

Spiders Belonging to this Genus

  • T. abchasica
  • T. dentifera
  • T. oribata
  • T. achaea
  • Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica)
  • T. pagana
  • T. adomestica
  • T. africana
  • T. agnolettii
  • T. alamto
  • T. angustipalpis
  • T. anhela
  • T. animata
  • T. annae
  • T. annulata
  • T. argaeica
  • T. armigera
  • T. averni
  • T. bayeri
  • T. bayrami
  • T. bosnica
  • T. bozhkovi
  • T. campestris
  • T. capolongoi
  • T. carensis
  • T. chebana
  • T. chiricahuae
  • T. chumachenkoi
  • T. circeoensis
  • T. comnena
  • T. comstocki
  • T. concolor
  • T. cottarellii
  • T. croatica
  • T. daiamsanesis
  • T. dalmatica
  • T. decolorata
  • T. eleonorae
  • T. elysii
  • T. epacris
  • T. faniapollinis
  • T. femoralis
  • T. ferruginea
  • T. forestieroi
  • T. halidi
  • T. hamid
  • T. hasperi
  • T. hauseri
  • T. hemanginiae
  • T. henroti
  • T. ismaillensis
  • T. karaman
  • T. lapicidinarum
  • T. lehtineni
  • T. lenkoranica
  • T. levantina
  • T. longimana
  • T. lunakensis
  • T. lyncea
  • T. maelfaiti
  • T. mamikonian
  • T. maroccana
  • T. maronita
  • T. mediterranea
  • T. melbae
  • T. mercanturensis
  • T. michae
  • T. mirifica
  • T. montana
  • T. montiszasensis
  • T. nakhchivanica
  • T. parietina
  • T. parmenidis
  • T. parvula
  • T. pasquinii
  • T. percuriosa
  • T. pieperi
  • T. pindosiensis
  • T. podoprygorai
  • T. pontica
  • T. pseudolyncea
  • T. racovitzai
  • T. ramblae
  • T. regispyrrhi
  • T. rhodiensis
  • T. rilaensis
  • T. sbordonii
  • T. schmalfussi
  • T. schoenhoferi
  • T. scopifera
  • T. serrana
  • T. shillongensis
  • T. silvestris
  • T. talyshica
  • T. taurica
  • T. tekke
  • T. tridentina
  • T. tyrrhenica
  • T. vallei
  • T. vanensis
  • T. vankeerorum
  • T. vignai
  • T. wittmeri
  • T. zagatalensis
  • T. zamanii

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Most spiders of this genus measure 0.39 – 0.78 inches (1 to 2 cm) on average, minus the leg span. Like always, the female species are bigger than their male counterparts.

Color: Most of them appear brown, black, and gray with spots and bands on their legs and abdomen. The barn funnel weaver (Tegenaria domestica), for example, has a dark orange, beige, or brown body with black stripes on its cephalothorax.

Other Characteristic Features: They have eight eyes mostly arranged in straight rows.

Eggs

The pale white, round eggs remain safely encased within the sac.

Spiderlings

Spiderlings go through several molting phases before reaching adulthood.

The Web

Tegenaria spiders spin a sheet web within which lie a tubular retreat.

Are Spiders of the Tegenaria Genus Venomous

The spiders bite only if provoked, which, however, is not dangerous.

Quick Facts

Distribution Entire northern hemisphere (except Indonesia and Japan)
Habitat Between the walls and backyard
Diet Insects
Web Type Funnel-web
Lifespan Males: 1 year
Females: 1.5 years; some species live for up to seven years especially if kept in undisturbed and temperate areas, like basement, storage rooms, and attics

Did You Know

  • The French zoologist, Pierre André Latreille, described the genus for the first time in 1804.

Image Credits: aesgsf.free.fr

Tegenaria genus of the funnel weaver family has a total of 106 species as recorded in April 2019. Most of the spiders occupy a large part of the Northern Hemisphere apart from Indonesia and Japan. The genus had even more species than its present numbers, with the majority of them like the hobo spider and giant house spider shifted to the Eratigena genus.

Tegenaria Spider

Spiders Belonging to this Genus

  • T. abchasica
  • T. dentifera
  • T. oribata
  • T. achaea
  • Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica)
  • T. pagana
  • T. adomestica
  • T. africana
  • T. agnolettii
  • T. alamto
  • T. angustipalpis
  • T. anhela
  • T. animata
  • T. annae
  • T. annulata
  • T. argaeica
  • T. armigera
  • T. averni
  • T. bayeri
  • T. bayrami
  • T. bosnica
  • T. bozhkovi
  • T. campestris
  • T. capolongoi
  • T. carensis
  • T. chebana
  • T. chiricahuae
  • T. chumachenkoi
  • T. circeoensis
  • T. comnena
  • T. comstocki
  • T. concolor
  • T. cottarellii
  • T. croatica
  • T. daiamsanesis
  • T. dalmatica
  • T. decolorata
  • T. eleonorae
  • T. elysii
  • T. epacris
  • T. faniapollinis
  • T. femoralis
  • T. ferruginea
  • T. forestieroi
  • T. halidi
  • T. hamid
  • T. hasperi
  • T. hauseri
  • T. hemanginiae
  • T. henroti
  • T. ismaillensis
  • T. karaman
  • T. lapicidinarum
  • T. lehtineni
  • T. lenkoranica
  • T. levantina
  • T. longimana
  • T. lunakensis
  • T. lyncea
  • T. maelfaiti
  • T. mamikonian
  • T. maroccana
  • T. maronita
  • T. mediterranea
  • T. melbae
  • T. mercanturensis
  • T. michae
  • T. mirifica
  • T. montana
  • T. montiszasensis
  • T. nakhchivanica
  • T. parietina
  • T. parmenidis
  • T. parvula
  • T. pasquinii
  • T. percuriosa
  • T. pieperi
  • T. pindosiensis
  • T. podoprygorai
  • T. pontica
  • T. pseudolyncea
  • T. racovitzai
  • T. ramblae
  • T. regispyrrhi
  • T. rhodiensis
  • T. rilaensis
  • T. sbordonii
  • T. schmalfussi
  • T. schoenhoferi
  • T. scopifera
  • T. serrana
  • T. shillongensis
  • T. silvestris
  • T. talyshica
  • T. taurica
  • T. tekke
  • T. tridentina
  • T. tyrrhenica
  • T. vallei
  • T. vanensis
  • T. vankeerorum
  • T. vignai
  • T. wittmeri
  • T. zagatalensis
  • T. zamanii

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Most spiders of this genus measure 0.39 – 0.78 inches (1 to 2 cm) on average, minus the leg span. Like always, the female species are bigger than their male counterparts.

Color: Most of them appear brown, black, and gray with spots and bands on their legs and abdomen. The barn funnel weaver (Tegenaria domestica), for example, has a dark orange, beige, or brown body with black stripes on its cephalothorax.

Other Characteristic Features: They have eight eyes mostly arranged in straight rows.

Eggs

The pale white, round eggs remain safely encased within the sac.

Spiderlings

Spiderlings go through several molting phases before reaching adulthood.

The Web

Tegenaria spiders spin a sheet web within which lie a tubular retreat.

Are Spiders of the Tegenaria Genus Venomous

The spiders bite only if provoked, which, however, is not dangerous.

Quick Facts

Distribution Entire northern hemisphere (except Indonesia and Japan)
Habitat Between the walls and backyard
Diet Insects
Web Type Funnel-web
Lifespan Males: 1 year
Females: 1.5 years; some species live for up to seven years especially if kept in undisturbed and temperate areas, like basement, storage rooms, and attics

Did You Know

  • The French zoologist, Pierre André Latreille, described the genus for the first time in 1804.

Image Credits: aesgsf.free.fr