The hobo spider 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. 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. Hobo spiders sometimes build their webs in or around human habitations. Despite past claims, there is no clear evidence that the hobo spider has venom that is dangerous to humans.
The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. Well-known examples include the common "grass spiders" of the genus Agelenopsis. Nearly all Agelenidae are harmless to humans, but the bite of the hobo spider may be medically significant, and some evidence suggests it might cause necrotic lesions, but the matter remains subject to debate. The most widely accepted common name for members of the family is funnel weaver.
Oonopidae, also known as goblin spiders, is a family of spiders consisting of over 1,600 described species in about 113 genera worldwide, with total species diversity estimated at 2000 to 2500 species. The type genus of the family is OonopsKeyserling, 1835.
Leptonetidae is a family of small spiders adapted to live in dark and moist places such as caves. The family is relatively primitive having diverged around the Middle Jurassic period. They were first described by Eugène Simon in 1890.
Tegenaria is a genus of fast-running funnel weavers that occupy much of the Northern Hemisphere except for Japan and Indonesia. It was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, though many of its species have been moved elsewhere. The majority of these were moved to Eratigena, including the giant house spider and the hobo spider.
The spider species Tegenaria domestica, commonly known as the barn funnel weaver in North America and the domestic house spider in Europe, is a member of the funnel-web family Agelenidae.
The giant house spider has been treated as either one species, under the name Eratigena atrica, or as three species, E. atrica, E. duellica and E. saeva. As of April 2020, the three species view was accepted by the World Spider Catalog. They are among the largest spiders of Central and Northern Europe. They were previously placed in the genus Tegenaria. In 2013, they were moved to the new genus Eratigena as the single species Eratigena atrica. In 2018, the three separate species were restored. The bite of these species does not pose a threat to humans or pets, and they are generally reluctant to bite, preferring instead to hide or escape.
The rare spider species Tegenaria silvestris is mostly found in caves, or on dumps; sometimes it occurs on forest edges, or in dry forests. It constructs its web under tree trunks and dead wood, and in tree caves.
Tegenaria parietina is a species of spider native to Europe. Its modern day distribution includes area from Northern Africa to Central Asia and Sri Lanka, and from the West Indies to Uruguay and Argentina, where it may have been introduced. In the UK - where it is the largest native species of spider - it is sometimes known as the cardinal spider, because of the legend that Cardinal Wolsey was terrified by this species at Hampton Court, or, conversely, because he regarded them as lucky and forbade anyone to harm them. In 2013, Tegenaria taprobanica was included in this species.
Malthonica is a genus of funnel weavers first described by Eugène Simon in 1898. Many of its species were transferred to Aterigena and Tegenaria in 2010.
Oonops is a genus of spiders mostly found in America, Europe to Russia and East and North Africa.
Nesticus is a genus of American and Eurasian scaffold web spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1869.
Histopona is a genus of funnel weavers first described as a sub-genus of Hadites by Tamerlan Thorell in 1870. It was elevated to genus by Brignoli in 1972.
Aterigena is a genus of funnel weavers first described by A. Bolzern, A. Hänggi & D. Burckhardt in 2010. The name is an anagram of Tegenaria. It was created in 2010 for a group of Tegenaria and Malthonica species that formed a clade in a phylogenetic analysis. The genus was later found to be monophyletic, further separating Eratigena from Tegenaria and Malthonica.
Eratigena duellica, the giant house spider, is a species of funnel weaver in the spider family Agelenidae. It is found in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The related species Eratigena atrica is also called the giant house spider.
