Agelenidae is a large family of araneomorph spiders commonly referred to as funnel weavers. This includes the common "grass spiders" of the genus Agelenopsis, as well as the "hobo spider" (Tegenaria agrestis), whose venom may or may not be dangerous to humans.^[1][2] Not to be confused with the family of dangerous Australian funnel web weavers, the Hexathelidae, which includes the infamous Sydney funnel-web spider.

The family Agelenidae contains nearly 1,200 species in 68 genera worldwide.^[3] One included genus, Agelena, 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.

Usually, agelenids range from 4 to 20 mm in size, excluding leg span. Some of the largest species, for example Tegenaria duellica and Tegenaria atrica, may reach 2-4 inches in total leg span.

Most of these spiders are quite fast, especially on their web. With speeds clocked at 1.73 ft/s (0.53 m/s), the Giant house spider held the Guinness Book of World Records for top spider speed until 1987 when it was displaced by Solifugae, although the latter are not spiders at all; they belong to a different order and both morphologically and functionally they differ drastically from spiders.^[4]

Agelenids build a flat sheet of webbing that has a funnel-shaped retreat in the middle. When they are not perched on the sheet of the web awaiting prey to blunder by, they hide in their retreat. Like most web-building spiders, they rely mainly on vibrations to catch their prey. When an insect touches the web, the spider rushes to it and immediately bites and injects anesthetizing venom. Once the prey is nearly motionless, the spider typically drags it back into the retreat where it will begin feeding on it.

Tegenaria duellica in retreat.

Funnel web of an agelenid from Spain.

Immature male Agelena labyrinthica.

Genera

• Acutipetala Dankittipakul & Zhang, 2008 — Thailand
• Agelena Walckenaer, 1805 — Palearctic, Africa
• Agelenella Lehtinen, 1967 — Yemen, 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
• Alloclubionoides Paik, 1992 — Eurasia
• Aterigena Bolzern, Hänggi & Burckhardt, 2010 — China, Mediterranean
• Azerithonica Guseinov, Marusik & Koponen, 2005 — Azerbaijan
• Barronopsis Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — Cuba, USA, Bahamas
• Benoitia Lehtinen, 1967 — China, Africa, Cyprus, Israel, Yemen
• Bifidocoelotes Wang, 2002 — Taiwan, Hong Kong
• Calilena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — USA, Mexico
• Coelotes Blackwall, 1841 — Palearctic
• Coras Simon, 1898 — North America
• Draconarius Ovtchinnikov, 1999 — Asia
• Femoracoelotes Wang, 2002 — Taiwan
• Hadites Keyserling, 1862 — Croatia
• Himalcoelotes Wang, 2002 — Bhutan, Nepal, China
• Histopona Thorell, 1869 — Europe
• Hololena Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1929 — North America
• Huangyuania Song & Li, 1990 — China
• Huka Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Hypocoelotes Nishikawa, 2009 — Japan
• Inermocoelotes Ovtchinnikov, 1999 — Europe
• Iwogumoa Kishida, 1955 — Asia
• Kidugua Lehtinen, 1967 — Congo
• Leptocoelotes Wang, 2002 — Taiwan, China
• Lineacoelotes Xu, Li & Wang, 2008 — China
• Longicoelotes Wang, 2002 — China, Ryukyu Is.
• 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 — Central & East Africa, Yemen
• Neoramia Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Neorepukia Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Neotegenaria Roth, 1967 — Guyana
• Neowadotes Alayón, 1995 — Hispaniola
• Notiocoelotes Wang, Xu & Li, 2008 — Asia
• 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
• Orumcekia Koçak & Kemal, 2008 — Asia
• Paramyra Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Pireneitega Kishida, 1955 — Palearctic
• Platocoelotes Wang, 2002 — China, Japan
• Porotaka Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Pseudotegenaria Caporiacco, 1934 — Balkans, Libya
• Robusticoelotes Wang, 2002 — China
• Rualena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 — USA to Guatemala
• Spiricoelotes Wang, 2002 — China, Japan, Ryukyu Is.
• Tamgrinia Lehtinen, 1967 — India, China
• Tararua Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Tegecoelotes Ovtchinnikov, 1999 — Asia
• Tegenaria Latreille, 1804 — worldwide
• Textrix Sundevall, 1833 — Europe, Mediterranean, Ethiopia
• Tikaderia Lehtinen, 1967 — Himalayas
• Tonsilla Wang & Yin, 1992 — China
• Tortolena Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — USA, Mexico to Costa Rica
• Tuapoka Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand
• Urocoras Ovtchinnikov, 1999 — Europe
• Wadotes Chamberlin, 1925 — North America

See also

• List of Agelenidae species
• Spider families

References

1. ^ Note: "funnel weaver" is the official common name of the family and is not to be confused with the "funnel-web tarantulas" or "funnel-web spiders" of the families Hexathelidae or Dipluridae, both of which are members of the suborder Mygalomorphae.
2. ^ [1] Breene et al., 2003. Common Names of Arachnids, fifth edition
3. ^ [2] The World Spider Catalog, Version 13.0 by Norman I. Platnick
4. ^ Tegenaria duellica fact sheet

Additional Reading

• Kaston, Benjamin Julian (1953). How to Know the Spiders. Dubuque. ISBN 0-697-04898-5.
• Foelix, Rainer F. (2011). Biology of Spiders (third ed.). ISBN 978-0-19-973482-5.