Agelena is a genus of agelenid spiders first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1805.[2] Sometimes referred to as Eurasian grass spiders, they trap their prey by weaving entangling non-sticky funnel webs. They are limited to the Old World, occurring from Africa to Japan. Many species have been moved to other genera, particularly to Allagelena, Benoitia and Mistaria.[1]
Agelena constructs a typical non-sticky funnel-web that features a flat open sheet-like area. The webs are usually positioned close to the soil surface within low vegetation. The capture web consists of a flat, slightly concave, non-adhesive silk sheet that measures 40-60 cm wide and is composed of a mesh of silken threads suspended by oblique and vertical threads. This sheet is laid over the ground or any horizontal area and is usually clearly visible in the early morning when it becomes covered with dewdrops. The web typically remains in the same location and is repaired and enlarged as the spider grows.[3]
A funnel-shaped retreat is situated on one side of the web and usually has an exit at the other end, either under rocks or logs, in grass tussocks, and sometimes in abandoned animal burrows. The spider hides in the retreat with its front legs stretched out on the web to detect vibrations from prey that lands on it. Flying and jumping insects strike the vertical threads and drop onto the web, prompting the spider to rush out with great speed while running over the upper surface. The prey is grabbed, killed, and carried back into the retreat. When the spider feels threatened, it quickly disappears down the retreat and escapes through the other exit.[3]
The female lays her eggs in a bottle-shaped egg sac, covers it with sand, and hangs it on one side of the retreat. Mating takes place during the summer months.[3]
The body size of in Agelena ranges from 6 to 10 millimeters, with males being the same size as females but more slender and having longer legs.[3]
The carapace is pear-shaped with a deep fovea and displays a greyish brown coloration marked by dark broad longitudinal bands. The eyes are positioned relatively close together in a grouped arrangement. The chelicerae are equipped with 3 promarginal and 3-4 retromarginal teeth.[3]
The abdomen features a distinctive pattern that consists of a median band bordered by rows of spots, which frequently shows a reddish tint. The spinnerets are biarticulated, with the posterior pair having a distal segment that is much longer than the basal segment. The legs are hirsute and display banding, with the fourth pair being the longest and the third pair the shortest.[3]
The male's palpus possesses patellar and tibial apophyses, while the embolus is short and thick with an elaborate conductor that is fused with a whitish, finger-like, fleshy outgrowth. The female's epigynum contains a deep central cavity that is partially divided by a median septum.[3]
Species
Agelena labyrinthica
Agelena labyrinthica
Agelena limbata
A. orientalis, female
Agelena silvatica
As of September2025[update], this genus includes forty species:[1]
↑ Walckenaer, C. A. (1805). Tableau des aranéides ou caractères essentiels des tribus, genres, familles et races que renferme le genre Aranea de Linné, avec la désignation des espèces comprises dans chacune de ces divisions.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Agelenidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida. p.6. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5981186.This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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