Domestic house spider
Encyclopedia
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 and a close relative of the hobo spider
. Domestic house spiders range worldwide from as north as Sweden
to as south as Greece
in Europe and from as north as Maritime
Canada
to as south as Louisiana
in North America. Some also inhabit parts of Western Asia
.
Common belief has it that T. domestica, first only occurring in Europe, was accidentally introduced to the Americas
by British
lumber
merchant
s during the Napoleonic Wars
era along with wooden cargo exported over the Atlantic Ocean
. Recent arachnological
studies, however, suggest that the species had a common ancestor with the giant house spider
that spread to both Europe (through Asia) and the rest of North America from Northwestern Canada (possibly from a region currently housing British Columbia
) long before the first human settlement in North America.
and straight abdomen. Their body/legs ratio is typically 50—60%, which accounts for a body size of 7.5–11.5 mm (.3–.45 in) in females and 6–9 mm (.24–.35 in) in males.
Males are usually distinguished from females by having longer, more agile legs, bloated pedipalp
s and elongated abdomen. Other distinctions are strictly behavioral.
The coloring of an adult T. domestica is typically dark orange to brown or beige (maybe even grayish), with a common characteristic of striped legs and two dull, black, longitudinal stripes on the cephalothorax. The abdomen is mottled in brown, beige, and grey and has a pattern of chevrons running lengthwise across the top (similar to an argyle pattern).
Like many agelenids, barn funnel weavers are very precise in their movements. Instead of following a continuous gait pattern, they usually move in short intervals, stopping several times before deciding where to head next. Males will wander aimlessly around the house if undisturbed, but will soon switch to the running interval if prey or threat are spotted. Their legs are perfectly fit for walking (with tarsi
bent outward on the tips) and spiders can run over quite long distances in both situations.
This spider builds a funnel-shaped web to catch its prey. It usually consists of a multitude of stressed silk threads spun over a flat surface (such as a windowsill) near any corner, with a funnel-like structure reaching for the corner, in which the spider would typically reside (hence the name). These webs can become quite large if undisturbed. They act like cord strings, helping the spider glide over them, and once a prey stumbles into the web, it will quickly get attacked, then dragged inside the funnel part and eaten, but very rarely stored underneath the structure.
Females that dwell indoors would usually live for over one or two years on the same web, with some residing for as long as seven years in rarely disturbed places (attics, basement or cellar parts, storage rooms, etc.). Outdoor females perish with cold weather and males rarely live for over a year. In late Fall, an egg sac is made containing up to 50 eggs and put in the very tip of the funnel, protected by the female. The spiderlings will hatch in early to mid April and go over seven molts to reach adulthood.
Domestic house spiders may or may not inject venom during a bite (a venom-less bite is called a "dry bite
"). Spiders prefer to use their venom for subduing their prey and do not always use it as a defense mechanism. Their venom is both neuro-
and necrotoxic and can leave small lesions over the bitten area, similar to that of a burn. Besides causing considerable local pain, venom effects are minimal in healthy adults and may sometimes include malaise
and fatigue feelings in children and elderly, but will usually wear off on the same day. The bite area is better treated with iodine and will disappear within the next three days. No medical attention is required.
Surprisingly enough, these spiders can be very docile if recently fed. They can easily be manipulated and even taken away from their webs and grabbed, without much aggressive behavior. On the contrary, females protecting their eggs can also appear to be slow moving and docile, but will not hesitate to defend their young. In any situation, it is recommended to handle the spider with care and make sure it has first been dealt with when removing its web.
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
species Tegenaria domestica, commonly known as the barn funnel weaver in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the domestic house spider in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, is a member of the funnel-web family Agelenidae and a close relative of the hobo spider
Hobo spider
The hobo spider is a member of the genus of spiders known colloquially as funnel web spiders, but not to be confused with the Australian funnel-web spider. It is one of a small number of spiders in North America whose bites are generally considered to be medically significant...
. Domestic house spiders range worldwide from as north as Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to as south as Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in Europe and from as north as Maritime
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to as south as Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
in North America. Some also inhabit parts of Western Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Common belief has it that T. domestica, first only occurring in Europe, was accidentally introduced to the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
by British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
era along with wooden cargo exported over the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Recent arachnological
Arachnology
Arachnology is the scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids. However, the study of ticks and mites is sometimes not included in arachnology, but is called Acarology...
studies, however, suggest that the species had a common ancestor with the giant house spider
Giant house spider
The Giant house spider is a member of the genus Tegenaria and is a close relative of both the Domestic house spider and the infamous Hobo spider...
that spread to both Europe (through Asia) and the rest of North America from Northwestern Canada (possibly from a region currently housing British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
) long before the first human settlement in North America.
Appearance
Domestic house spiders possess elongated bodies with a somewhat flattened cephalothoraxCephalothorax
The cephalothorax is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. The word cephalothorax is derived from the Greek words for head and thorax...
and straight abdomen. Their body/legs ratio is typically 50—60%, which accounts for a body size of 7.5–11.5 mm (.3–.45 in) in females and 6–9 mm (.24–.35 in) in males.
Males are usually distinguished from females by having longer, more agile legs, bloated pedipalp
Pedipalp
Pedipalps , are the second pair of appendages of the prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. They are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in Crustacea and insects, although more recent studies Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi), are the second pair of appendages of the...
s and elongated abdomen. Other distinctions are strictly behavioral.
The coloring of an adult T. domestica is typically dark orange to brown or beige (maybe even grayish), with a common characteristic of striped legs and two dull, black, longitudinal stripes on the cephalothorax. The abdomen is mottled in brown, beige, and grey and has a pattern of chevrons running lengthwise across the top (similar to an argyle pattern).
Behaviour
Barn funnel weavers are active and agile hunters, relying on both their vision and movement speed as well as web mechanisms. Their eye configuration, with six out of eight sighting forward, allows them to distinguish even the smallest movement in front of them and either follow it, or retreat, if the movement is too considerable. These spiders are also known to be photosensitive, i.e. moving to or fleeing from the light, depending on situations.Like many agelenids, barn funnel weavers are very precise in their movements. Instead of following a continuous gait pattern, they usually move in short intervals, stopping several times before deciding where to head next. Males will wander aimlessly around the house if undisturbed, but will soon switch to the running interval if prey or threat are spotted. Their legs are perfectly fit for walking (with tarsi
Arthropod leg
The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: coxa , trochanter , femur, tibia, tarsus, ischium, metatarsus, carpus, dactylus ,...
bent outward on the tips) and spiders can run over quite long distances in both situations.
This spider builds a funnel-shaped web to catch its prey. It usually consists of a multitude of stressed silk threads spun over a flat surface (such as a windowsill) near any corner, with a funnel-like structure reaching for the corner, in which the spider would typically reside (hence the name). These webs can become quite large if undisturbed. They act like cord strings, helping the spider glide over them, and once a prey stumbles into the web, it will quickly get attacked, then dragged inside the funnel part and eaten, but very rarely stored underneath the structure.
Females that dwell indoors would usually live for over one or two years on the same web, with some residing for as long as seven years in rarely disturbed places (attics, basement or cellar parts, storage rooms, etc.). Outdoor females perish with cold weather and males rarely live for over a year. In late Fall, an egg sac is made containing up to 50 eggs and put in the very tip of the funnel, protected by the female. The spiderlings will hatch in early to mid April and go over seven molts to reach adulthood.
Defense mechanisms
T. domestica is not an aggressive species and will retreat when threatened by larger creatures (e.g. humans). As long as its web is undisturbed, the spider will retreat to the funnel tip and stop responding to any movement whatsoever. If the web is attacked and partially destroyed, the spider will attempt to flee the area or may huddle its body into a ball against the wall or some other nearby object. To usher the spider into a cup for relocation, hold the cup in front of the spider and use something to gently nudge the spider from behind. A spider's first reflex after being touched from behind is to walk or run forward. The spider will walk right into the cup that is placed in front of it.Domestic house spiders may or may not inject venom during a bite (a venom-less bite is called a "dry bite
Dry bite
A dry bite is a bite by a venomous animal in which no venom is released. Dry snake bites are called "Venomous snake bite without envenoming". Dry bites can occur from all snakes, but their frequency varies from species to species. For example, brown snakes can inflict dry bites 80% of the time...
"). Spiders prefer to use their venom for subduing their prey and do not always use it as a defense mechanism. Their venom is both neuro-
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
and necrotoxic and can leave small lesions over the bitten area, similar to that of a burn. Besides causing considerable local pain, venom effects are minimal in healthy adults and may sometimes include malaise
Malaise
Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, of being "out of sorts", often the first indication of an infection or other disease. Malaise is often defined in medicinal research as a "general feeling of being unwell"...
and fatigue feelings in children and elderly, but will usually wear off on the same day. The bite area is better treated with iodine and will disappear within the next three days. No medical attention is required.
Surprisingly enough, these spiders can be very docile if recently fed. They can easily be manipulated and even taken away from their webs and grabbed, without much aggressive behavior. On the contrary, females protecting their eggs can also appear to be slow moving and docile, but will not hesitate to defend their young. In any situation, it is recommended to handle the spider with care and make sure it has first been dealt with when removing its web.