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Spider Photos - Funnel Weaver/Grass Spiders

Funnel weaver spiders closely resemble wolf spiders and the males sometimes resemble hobo spiders.  They can usually be distinguished from wolf spiders because wolf spiders do not build webs.  Funnel weavers are also usually lighter in build than wolf spiders.  Many common funnel weaver are also characterized by having very bristly legs.  Most are brown, with gray, black, and tan markings.  Like all spiders, funnel weavers have 8 legs, 2 body parts (cephalothorax and abdomen), and no antennae. All spiders in this family have 8 eyes. They may be recognized by the arrangement of their eight eyes into three rows. The top row has two eyes, the middle row has four eyes, and the bottom row has two eyes (spaced wider than the ones on the top row). They also have two prominent hind spinnerets, and somewhat indistinct bands on their legs. Normally spiders spinnerets cannot be easily seen without turning the spider over but in grass spiders they are quite prominent. The males also have large pedipalps which are prominent. These spiders are commonly called "Grass Spiders" because they build funnel-shaped webs, which are not sticky, close to the ground.  The spider hides in the narrow end of this funnel, which is usually protected by leaves or rocks.  When an insect, spider, or other small creature crosses the wide end of the funnel, the spider feels the vibration and rushes out to grab the prey.  Funnel weaver and grass spiders are incredibly quick, and can dash from the protected part of their web to the other end at lightning speed. Funnel weaver and grass spiders are beneficial predators.  They very rarely leave their webs, so they don't often enter homes.  They will only bite if provoked, and are not considered dangerous. Their venom is hemotoxic but is much less than severe than the Brown Recluse. The most common symptoms are local swelling, redness and itching. All photos are copyright to their owners and may not be reproduced without permission. Please choose a section.

AGELENIDAE  - FUNNEL WEAVERS

3 May, 2008:
Hi Glen! Here's another beauty we found outside in our back yard this evening:
Our fabulous 6 year old son ran and told us he saw the web, and Mike  again snapped some great photos. We think it's a funnel-weaver. We are  training the kids to leave him in peace and hopefully he'll live a good long time, killing lots of pests!  -Freemans, Tucson AZ USA
Click for a larger view.

10 April, 2008:
Hi Glen, I was outside a few minutes ago and saw this little fella sitting on a leaf. So I did the logical thing and photographed him. You can use the pictures if you want. -Damy

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22 November, 2007:
Hi... Thought you'd like a couple of pic's of a grass spider found in our store room. Bob , Wonder Lake Illinois

Reply: I think it's a grass spider/funnel weaver and probably a male.

2 November, 2007:
So, I found this guy in my bathroom. He was trapped in the tub for a while. He could not get up the side of it. I also found a second one just like this one but dead in the corner of the tub a few days ago but this one is alive and looks way better so I took some pictures and I am sending it your way. I just would love to know exactly what this one is. I have an idea but I don't like to make assumptions. P.S. You can put these on the website and also use them for anything you see fit to use them for. Thanks, Drew

13 October, 2007:
Hi! I have/ had a very large spider living in my front yard recently. I got some pictures from the front, but I couldn't ever get anything from the side. It had a large web- about 2.5 feet spun across some ivy with a funnel towards the back. It looks like it may have a large cocoon like egg sac in a leaf. Do you know what it is? You are welcome to post it if you want. I have really enjoyed watching it over the last few weeks, and we think it may have died in the last few days. Thanks, Jez,  Petersburg, VA

9 October, 2007:
Glen, Looked this guy up on the web and, of course, landed in the usual spot at your web site with an ID in minutes.  Great site - keep up the great work.  My wife found this in Bear Creek Lake Sate Park west of Richmond, Virginia this weekend (10/6/07) while we were hiking.  He was about 3 inches long and very curious about us.  Great for catching these photos. Thanks for the site. David and Leslie

Reply: You have 2 funnel weavers, that's the stripey ones and the other with the big bum, looks like tegenaria gigantica - the giant house spider a relation of the hobo spiders which actually kills hobos if you have them in your area

1 October, 2007:
I caught all these in a cup after finding them on some boards in my backyard. I live in Utah, USA. The one on the top and bottom look similar but the one of the right had a HUGE "bum". Thanks! Dustin
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30 September, 2007:
I found this little guy right next to my mom's foot, but I did not tell her about it; She would have tried to kill it. Using your wonderful website, I was able to say that this is a Funnel Weaver / Grass Spider. Thanks... Dan from Novi Michigan

17 September, 2007:
Hey Glen I was doing a little work in the crawlspace today and drilled some holes up into my kitchen. Tonight I walked into my kitchen to find this beast coming out of one of the holes, it was a little bigger then a silver dollar. It looks a lot like the hobo spider but I'm not sure, If it helps I'm in New Jersey. Thanks, Phil

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13 September, 2007:
What type of spider is this? He was on my wall and I got his photo. And my teenager wants to know if he allows this one and the beautiful garden orb spider, on my rose bush, to bite him, will he get superpowers? Thanks

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9 September, 2007:
I found this spider recently in my dryer. I live in Hammond, Indiana, which borders the southeast side of Chicago, Illinois. I am concerned if this is possibly a brown recluse spider. If it can not really be identified by photo, what steps can I take to attempt to correctly identify this spider. Thanks. Paul, Hammond, Indiana

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Reply: Yes this is a funnel weaver spider's web covered in dew. You can see the spider at the back.

8 September, 2007:
Dear Glen, I found your site while trying to find out what kind of spider is in the photo and am fascinated by the wallpaper look of the web...the pattern looks like leaves. Any info would be most helpful as it is very near a 3 yr old boys play area. We don’t want to relocate it if it is harmless. Appreciate any info you can provide. Yes, you can post the photo too. Many thanks! Donna

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2 September, 2007:
Hi Glen, Your site helped me identify this very large spider I found in my bathroom (in not the best of locations) as a Grass Spider (Funnel Weaver). I'm curious about one thing. The other pictures on your site seem to be fairly small, but as you can see from the attached pictures, mine was not small at all. Did I just get a mutant or is this normal?

10 Augst, 2007:
I found this on my wall in my basement. The size is HUGE.. I don’t have an exact measurement. It looks like a hobo.. but then a friend sent me a picture of the “not as dangerous” funnel weaver spider. Can you tell off hand?  Dustin  

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Reply: This looks like a funnel weaver spider.

7 September, 2005:
Hi Glen -  What a fantastic site you have!! I have a tidbit for your Denver, CO individual (4th picture down on your main page today) who's entry is dated October 18, 2004. The spider has to horn shaped formations on it's abdomen. I also live in Denver, CO and had the exact same spider living in the crook of a tree outside my front door the summer of 2000. I sent it about the internet a bit and got an email back from an entemologist in Brussels. He said it was most likely some type of a common barn orb spider. Also, I found this guy in my basement....he was on his last legs when I found him. I think he must be some sort of wolf spider, but I'd really like to know. I doubt he's poisonous, but again, would really love to know. He is about 1 1/2 inches long including legs. Thanks!!!

Reply: It  looks like the harmless "grass spider" or funnel weaver, species Agelenopsis pennsylvanica, same as the one below. They are very similar to wolf spider but have longer posterior spinnerets.

2 Sept, 2005:
HI live in Bartlett, Illinois, near Chicago. This thing was in my garage  at 2 am last night. Any clue as to what kind of spider it is?

Reply: It  looks like the harmless "grass spider", species Agelenopsis pennsylvanica, sent in on 16 August.

1 Sept, 2005:
We hope you can help us out. We just moved into a new house and have found two of these things climbing up our walls in the last week. They have both been about the size of a quarter. We live in Iowa...can you tell us what type of spider you think this is? We were looking through your site (very nice, by the way) and were unsure if we were dealing with a funnel or a hobo spider. Since we have a new baby, we would like to be sure what we are dealing with and if there is any need to worry. Any input you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mike & Jamie

Click for a larger view.

Reply: This one looks like a funnel weaver spider (Agelenopis species).

Click here for  picture to compare.