Funnel web spiders, whose Latin name is Agelenidae, belong to the family of araneomorph spiders. There are 42 genera and 515 species of funnel-web spiders known in nature. There are 26 species common in Russia, which belong to 9 genera.
The name of this spider comes from two words - age and lenis, which translated from Latin means “to move unclearly.” This name is due to the peculiarities of movement of these individuals. Their running, unlike the smooth, straight running of other spiders, is intermittent and inconsistent. But, despite this feature, the insect received the name “funnel”, or “grass”. In Eastern European countries, the most common species of this spider is the house spider. In Russian colloquial speech it is often called a house spider.
What does a spider look like?
Spiders are medium in size - from 6 to 21 millimeters in leg span, oval abdomen, carapace - pear-shaped or ovoid, not flattened. Females are larger than males, but the latter have a larger carapace.
Body color can range from light brown to black. The body is covered with hair. There is a pattern on the abdomen and carapace. The front legs are longer than the rest. The legs are covered with powerful spines and sensilla. The paws have three claws covered with spines, with which it weaves webs.
Individuals of the family have six simple and two complicated eyes. They are almost equal in size and are located at the same distance from each other. Vision is poor and spiders navigate using their senses of touch. Powerful chelicerae are directed downwards.
On the underside of the abdomen there are two pairs of arachnoid warts, the front ones are widely spaced, the rear ones are elongated and often protrude forward, like tails. One spiracle opens in front of these warts; they breathe with the help of two lungs and a pair of tracheas.
Southern regions of the country
The warmest regions are home to the following spiders:
South Russian tarantula
The popular name is Mizgir. Habitat - central and European Russia, namely steppes and semi-deserts. The female tarantula grows to a huge size of 3.2 cm, males are 5 mm smaller, weight starts from 30 grams, the maximum weight of an adult reaches 90 grams. Such parameters cannot but impress! There is no doubt about which spider is the largest in Russia - it is definitely a tarantula.
The massive body is dark brown or dark gray and covered with many hairs. Due to the large number of hairs, the spider looks very fluffy. Tarantulas live alone, except for the mating period. The diet, in addition to standard midges and flies, is supplemented by frogs and mice. Representatives of this species are true hunters; they prefer to guard, attack and chase large prey, while inflicting additional bites. Despite the terrifying appearance and predatory nature of the spider, it can bite a person if it senses danger. The bite is dangerous only due to an allergic reaction - redness and irritation.
Argiop
The popular name is wasp spider or wasp spider. It received its nickname due to the similarity of the color of the females of this species with the wasp: a yellow abdomen with black and white stripes. Distributed in the Krasnodar region, Astrakhan region and Volga region - warm regions. Argiopes have pronounced gender differences: females are large and bright, up to 3 cm, and males are on average 0.5 cm and have a dark gray or brown color.
An interesting feature of spiders is their “gregarious” life - the number of individuals in a group is up to 20. The wasp spider is poisonous, but its poison will not cause serious harm to health. In terms of pain, the sting can be compared to that of an aspen or a bee; it will be painful and swollen. An allergic reaction is possible. Argiope will never attack first, but if you accidentally touch its web, an immediate reaction will follow.
What species are found?
The most common and well-known types:
- The Sydney funnel web spider is one of the most dangerous and poisonous members of the family. Attacks the victim quickly and furiously. It has long and powerful fangs, with which it bites through skin, nails and other integuments. Another name is the Sydney leukoweb spider, which bites very quickly, several times, and its venom can kill a child fifteen minutes after the attack. Timely medical assistance can save the life of the victim. It is quite large in size; the female, including her limbs, can reach seven centimeters. Males are more poisonous. The body color is dark and black. They dig shelters in the ground or make a home in a hole in trees, and cover the entrances with cobwebs on the inside. Habitat: New South Wells.
- Northern tree funnel-web spider - body length up to five centimeters, color dark brown or black. Lives in Australia, New South Wales. Nests are located in tree hollows and rotting wood. It leads an active lifestyle at night and feeds on tree pests. It is also dangerous for humans, because the poison is toxic and can cause severe intoxication of the body.
- Brown - females of this genus are caring parents; after birth, the spiderlings take care of them for another month. If the peace of the family is disturbed, the mother will quickly attack the offender and then eat him. Small spiders touch the female and thus make it clear that they are hungry.
- Brownie or meadow - one of the most common species, found everywhere in basements, closets, barns and other human premises. Some spiders have a dark brown pattern on their backs. Females are larger than males. They weave trap webs and install them in the corners. They lead an active lifestyle and do not pose a threat to humans.
- Labyrinth spider - lives in meadows and steppes. It stretches the web directly on the grass and attaches it to the stems. Yellow body tint. An adult can reach a length of up to two centimeters. The abdomen is dark, the hair is not thick and forms a specific ornament. There are two dark stripes on the back.
Read on topic:
Why signs of arachnophobia appear and what to do about it
14.11.2020
The most popular types of Australian spiders
14.11.2020
The main types of spiders living in a house or apartment
05.02.2020
The appearance of a tarantula and the consequences of a spider bite
03.07.2019
Steppe regions of Russia
The nature of the Russian steppes is inhabited mainly by dangerous and biting arachnids, the most common of which are:
Karakurt
The most poisonous spider in Russia, it lives in the Urals and the Caucasus, Crimea, the Black Sea region and the Moscow region. The bite of the karakurt is a double hole made by chelicerae. The spider will attack immediately if accidentally disturbed. Poison injected into the wound spreads throughout the body within 15 minutes. After this time, severe muscle pain, fever, increased sweating and tremors begin. If you are bitten, you should seek help immediately. The most aggressive are sexually mature females, who, in addition to the instinct of conservation, experience a natural feeling of the need to preserve offspring.
Pogrebnoy
He got his “nickname” due to his love of living in cellars and barns. In these buildings, he finds crevices and cracks in the wooden elements that are optimal for his habitation. The spider is small, the average size is 10 mm. The head is colored brown or black, the abdomen is lighter - from red to brown. Pogrebnyaks are characterized by a hot climate; in Russia they prefer to live in the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Crimea. A bite from a porcini mushroom can lead to fever, nausea and fever. They themselves do not attack, but if the spider senses real danger, it will defend itself.
Black Eresus
Popularly called ladybug. Lives in the Caucasus, Western Siberia and the southern Urals. The male specimens of this spider are very impressive; they have a round, bright red abdomen, on which there are four black spots, the legs are black, thick, with white transverse stripes. Females do not have such an attractive appearance - as a rule, they are black. The average size of eresus is 1 cm, sometimes individuals up to 1.5 cm are found.
Ladybug lives in earthen burrows, which it digs under stones. The black eresus is a family of venomous spiders. Poison injected into the wound leads to numbness of the limbs and severe swelling.
Steatoda
This species is called a relative of the black widow or false widow due to its external and behavioral similarities, only the steatoda is brown in color and lacks markings on the back. Steatoda lives throughout Russia and often settles in human dwellings. This is due to the presence of constant heat in the room and access to water.
This species can go without food for about a month, but it needs to drink constantly. The female grows up to 1.2 cm, males - half as much. Steatoda is a poisonous spider. A bite can kill a mouse or frog or cause complete paralysis in a dog or cat. For humans, the consequences are malaise, nausea, increased heart rate and shortness of breath, muscle and joint pain. Swelling appears at the site of the bite, and then it turns blue.
What does he prefer to eat?
Depending on the variety, spiders weave webs in different places, some in the grass, others indoors, others in hollows and wood. But they only catch moving animals and insects. The arthropod itself freezes while waiting and prepares to jump. Attacks quickly and swiftly.
Introduced funnel-web spiders are most often nocturnal. They eat:
- softly chitinized flies;
- mosquitoes;
- leafhoppers;
- small spiders;
- honey bees;
- Zhukov;
- ants.
When prey falls into the trap, the host quickly runs out and eats away the prey's body with poisonous chelicerae. It is at the ends of these organs that there are glands that inject a dangerous substance. It turns the insect's insides into a liquid porridge, and the spider sucks out the contents.
What are the features of reproduction?
Breeding season is summer, warm months. The spider finds the female's nest and taps her web with certain movements. Because of this, the female falls into a stupor, and the male takes her to another place for mating. Then the couple lives together for some time, a couple of weeks, and after that the female eats the male.
At the end of summer, the mother will make a cocoon and place it in her tube or a new chamber nearby, where she lays eggs. House species make several coconuts and hide eggs in them, then hang them on a net.
Distribution and habitats
Spiders can live even where other living things cannot live. They are distributed over all continents and islands, with the exception of areas that are covered with ice all year round. The vast majority of spiders build burrows, nests and other shelters, but some species do not have a permanent habitat.
In nature
What is the benefit or harm
Despite the fact that representatives look menacing, and their webs disturb people in houses, in the grass and cause inconvenience, spiders are simply necessary for the ecosystem and people: they kill a huge number of insects (flies, mosquitoes, midges and others).
The venom of the house spider, which lives in a person’s home, does not pose a threat and cannot harm the family. One of the poisonous ones is the Sydney one, whose habitat is limited to New South Wales.
The common meadow spider can be dangerous to humans, American scientists have discovered this, but there are no recorded cases.
Funnel web spiders live all over the planet, except Antarctica and snowy areas. Some of them are safe, but there are also poisonous varieties, so you need to be careful when traveling to their habitats.
Nutrition
The Sydney spider is a real predator, and quite voracious. In one day, one spider can catch about 100 insects in its web. The vast majority of them are flies. In addition to them, the diet of spiders includes other types of insects:
- insect larvae;
- cockroaches;
- beetles;
- bees;
- cicadas;
- land snails;
- centipedes.
Nutrition
A catching net, a web, is woven from threads that glisten in the sun. Attracted by the shine, the victim sits on the net and sticks to it. The spider, which is sitting in ambush, can only move to the prey and start eating. Spiders eat a lot: every day the Sydney spider eats as much food as it weighs.
