''Eratigena'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

in the family

Agelenidae The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. Well-known examples include the common "grass spiders" of the genus ''Agelenopsis''. Nearly all Agelenidae are harmless to humans, but the bite of the hobo spider (''Erat ...

. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''

Tegenaria ''Tegenaria'' is a genus of fast-running funnel weavers that occupy much of the Northern Hemisphere except for Japan and Indonesia. It was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, though many of its species have been moved elsewhere. ...

'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs in and around human dwellings are now placed in this genus. ''Eratigena agrestis'' is the

hobo spider The hobo spider (''Eratigena agrestis'', formerly ''Tegenaria agrestis'') is a member of the family of spiders known colloquially as funnel web spiders, but not to be confused with the Australian funnel-web spider. Individuals construct a funnel ...

, native to Europe and Central Asia, introduced to North America. ''Eratigena atrica'' is the

giant house spider The giant house spider has been treated as either one species, under the name ''Eratigena atrica'', or as three species, ''E. atrica'', '' E. duellica'' and '' E. saeva''. , the three species view was accepted by the World Spider Catalog. T ...

, native to Europe and also introduced into North America.

Description

They are medium to large spiders. Two symmetrical dark bands are present dorsally on the

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

, which can be serrated (as pictured) or reduced, usually to three or four conspicuous triangles. They also have plumose hairs on the carapace, legs, and

opisthosoma The opisthosoma is the posterior part of the body in some arthropods, behind the prosoma (cephalothorax). It is a distinctive feature of the subphylum Chelicerata (arachnids, horseshoe crabs and others). Although it is similar in most respects to a ...

. Their rows of eyes are only slightly curved, in either direction.

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Species now placed in the genus ''Eratigena'' were previously placed in ''

'' and ''

Malthonica ''Malthonica'' is a genus of Agelenidae, funnel weavers first described by Eugène Simon in 1898. Many of its species were transferred to ''Aterigena'' and ''Tegenaria'' in 2010. Species it contains seven species: *''Malthonica africana'' Simo ...

''. In 2013, a study was carried out on European house spiders in the "''Tegenaria-Malthonica'' complex". Using both morphological and molecular data, the study found four well-supported

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

s, one of which constituted a new genus ''Eratigena'', comprising species formerly placed in ''Tegenaria'' and ''Malthonica''. The name ''Eratigena'' is an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. (Some ''Tegenaria'' species had previously been separated into the new genus '' Aterigena'', another anagram of ''Tegenaria''.) Although the genera involved in the study were consistently found to be

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

, different analyses found different relationships among them. Based on both morphological and DNA data, one hypothesis for the phylogeny of ''Eratigena'' and related genera is:

Identification

Bolzern et al. (2013) provide a key to the European agelenid genera. ''Eratigena'' can be differentiated from ''Malthonica'' by the un-notched trochanters on legs III and IV (notched in ''Malthonica''). The genus differs from ''Tegenaria'' in the number and size of the teeth on the rear margin of the chelicerae. ''Eratigena'' has six or more teeth, with those closer to the body of the spider being smaller. ''Tegenaria'' has three to six large teeth, more or less equal in size.

Species

, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepted the following species: *''

Eratigena agrestis The hobo spider (''Eratigena agrestis'', formerly ''Tegenaria agrestis'') is a member of the family of spiders known colloquially as funnel web spiders, but not to be confused with the Australian funnel-web spider. Individuals construct a funne ...

'' (Walckenaer, 1802) – Europe to Central Asia, introduced into USA and Canada (hobo spider) *''

Eratigena arganoi ''Eratigena arganoi'' is a species of spider in the genus ''Eratigena ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, be ...

'' (Brignoli, 1971) – Italy *'' Eratigena atrica'' (C. L. Koch, 1843) – Europe, introduced in North America (giant house spider) *''

Eratigena balearica Eratigena balearica is a species of spider in the genus ''Eratigena''. Info ''Distribution'': Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern ...

'' (Brignoli, 1978) – Balearic Is. *''

Eratigena barrientosi ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Bolzern, Crespo & Cardoso, 2009) – Portugal *''

Eratigena blanda ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Gertsch, 1971) – Mexico *''

Eratigena bucculenta ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (L. Koch, 1868) – Portugal, Spain *''

Eratigena caverna ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Gertsch, 1971) – Mexico *''

Eratigena decora ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Gertsch, 1971) – Mexico *''

Eratigena duellica ''Eratigena duellica'', the giant house spider, is a species of funnel weaver in the spider family Agelenidae. It is found in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The related species ''Eratigena atrica'' is also called the giant house spider ...

'' (Simon, 1875) – Canada, US, Europe *''

Eratigena edmundoi ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' Bolzern & Hänggi, 2016 – Mexico *''

Eratigena feminea ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Simon, 1870) – Portugal, Spain, Madeira, Algeria *'' Eratigena fernandoi'' Bolzern & Hänggi, 2016 – Mexico *'' Eratigena flexuosa'' (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) – Mexico *'' Eratigena florea'' (Brignoli, 1974) – Mexico *'' Eratigena fuesslini'' (Pavesi, 1873) – Europe *''

Eratigena gertschi ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Roth, 1968) – Mexico *'' Eratigena guanato'' Bolzern & Hänggi, 2016 – Mexico *'' Eratigena herculea'' (Fage, 1931) – Spain, Ibiza *'' Eratigena hispanica'' (Fage, 1931) – Spain *'' Eratigena incognita'' (Bolzern, Crespo & Cardoso, 2009) – Portugal *'' Eratigena inermis'' (Simon, 1870) – Portugal, Spain, France *'' Eratigena laksao'' Bolzern & Jäger, 2015 – Laos *''

Eratigena mexicana ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Roth, 1968) – Mexico *''

Eratigena montigena ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Simon, 1937) – Portugal, Spain *'' Eratigena picta'' (Simon, 1870) – Europe, Russia, North Africa *'' Eratigena queretaro'' Bolzern & Hänggi, 2016 – Mexico *'' Eratigena rothi'' (Gertsch, 1971) – Mexico *''

Eratigena saeva ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Blackwall, 1844) – Western Europe, Canada *''

Eratigena sardoa ''Eratigena'' is a genus of spider in the family Agelenidae. Most of its species were moved from the genus ''Tegenaria'' in 2013. Which is what this genus is named after, being an anagram of ''Tegenaria''. Two species that frequently build webs i ...

'' (Brignoli, 1977) – Sardinia *'' Eratigena selva'' (Roth, 1968) – Mexico *'' Eratigena sicana'' (Brignoli, 1976) – Sicily, Sardinia *'' Eratigena tlaxcala'' (Roth, 1968) – Mexico *'' Eratigena vidua'' (Cárdenas & Barrientos, 2011) – Spain *'' Eratigena vomeroi'' (Brignoli, 1977) – Italy *'' Eratigena xilitla'' Bolzern & Hänggi, 2016 – Mexico *'' Eratigena yarini'' Bolzern & Hänggi, 2016 – Mexico

References

Bibliography

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q21224637 Agelenidae Spiders of Asia Araneomorphae genera

Description

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Identification

Species

See also

References

Bibliography

External links