| Araneomorph funnel Web Spiders | |
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| Unknown Agelenid species on a house wall, probably Tegenaria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Superfamily: | Agelenoidea |
| Family: | Agelenidae C. L. Koch, 1837 |
| Genera | |
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See text. |
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| Diversity | |
| 41 genera, 500 species | |
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The araneomorph funnel-web spiders of the family Agelenidae include the common grass spiders of the genus Agelenopsis, as well as the purportedly venomous European hobo spider, Tegenaria agrestis, which has been introduced into the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Note: The araneomorph funnel-web spider should not to be confused with the funnel-web tarantula and the venomous funnel-web tarantula, both of which are members of the suborder Mygalomorphae. The venomous funnel-web tarantulas include the infamous Sydney funnel-web spider.
The family contains nearly 500 species in over 40 genera worldwide. Among other genera are Hololena and Agelena. The last named genus includes some fascinating semi-social spiders that live in complex communal webs in Africa. The best known of these is probably Agelena consociata.
Sociality in these spiders has gone so far as communal web-building and sharing; cooperative prey capture and communal rearing of young. Spiders have not, however, taken the final step into the eusociality of the social Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) because there are no workers or soldiers (no castes) and all females are reproductive.
Most of these spiders are also known for their fast speed which, on the web, can reach 2 km/h (slow-paced pedestrian walk). Due to this ability, they practically rely solely on their movement while capturing prey, but, unlike similar families, Lycosidae for example, they prefer to stalk their prey by building randomly placed web sheets, which may include up to 100 times the spider's size and funnel down to a narrow nest, hence the spider's name.
Usually, Agelenids range from 12 to 20 mm in size, excluding legspan, and about 50 mm in the largest species, including it.
Agelenids have a disputable reputation of giving bites that could be highly venomous to humans, however, this study has never been completely proven on practice. Of all the genera, Tegenaria species probably have the most potent venom, but cases of a medically considerable spider bite occurring from them are generally scarce.
Contents |
Genera
- Agelena Walckenaer, 1805 — Palearctic, Africa
- Agelenella Lehtinen, 1967 — Socotra
- Agelenopsis Giebel, 1869 — North America
- Ageleradix Xu & Li, 2007 — China
- Agelescape Levy, 1996 — Mediterranean
- Ahua Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Allagelena Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2006 — Eurasia
- Azerithonica Guseinov, Marusik & Koponen, 2005 — Azerbaijan
- Barronopsis Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — Cuba, USA, Bahamas
- Benoitia Lehtinen, 1967 — China, Africa, Cyprus, Israel
- Calilena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — USA, Mexico
- Hadites Keyserling, 1862 — Croatia
- Histopona Thorell, 1869 — Europe
- Hololena Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1929 — North America
- Huangyuania Song & Li, 1990 — China
- Huka Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Kidugua Lehtinen, 1967 — Congo
- Lycosoides Lucas, 1846 — Mediterranean, Azerbaijan
- Mahura Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Maimuna Lehtinen, 1967 — Eastern Mediterranean
- Malthonica Simon, 1898 — Mediterranean, Europe to Central Asia, USA to Chile, New Zealand
- Melpomene O. P-Cambridge, 1898 — USA to Panama
- Mistaria Lehtinen, 1967 — Africa
- Neoramia Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Neorepukia Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Neotegenaria Roth, 1967 — Guyana
- Novalena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 — USA to El Salvador
- Olorunia Lehtinen, 1967 — Congo
- Oramia Forster, 1964 — New Zealand
- Oramiella Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Orepukia Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Paramyro Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Porotaka Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Pseudotegenaria Caporiacco, 1934 — Balkans, Libya
- Rualena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 — USA to Guatemala
- Tararua Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
- Tegenaria Latreille, 1804 — worldwide
- Textrix Sundevall, 1833 — Europe, Mediterranean, Ethiopia
- Tikaderia Lehtinen, 1967 — Himalayas
- Tortolena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — Mexico to Costa Rica
- Tuapoka Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
See also
Bibliography
- Kaston, Benjamin Julian (1953). How to Know the Spiders. Dubuque. ISBN 0-697-04898-5.
- Foelix, Rainer F. (1996). Biology of Spiders (second ed.).
External links
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Wikispecies has information related to: Araneomorph funnel-web spider |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Agelenidae |
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