Despite the reputation they have in North America they are not considered to be of medical significance. They are an introduced species from Europe where they have no such reputation. The name agrestis means “of the fields”, but is often misconstrued as aggressive.
Honestly, they are of some medical significance. “Although the toxicity and aggression of the hobo spider have long been debated, there is little evidence that the hobo spider is a dangerously venomous species. The CDC reported case studies in the 1990s claiming that the hobo spider bite caused isolated cases of necrosis in people, but as of 2017, the CDC no longer lists the hobo spider among venomous species. In Canada, there is no evidence that hobo spider bites cause skin necrosis.”
Hi, this looks like a male Eratigena agrestis.
Sheesh, that’s scary to think that it was that near to me…
Despite the reputation they have in North America they are not considered to be of medical significance. They are an introduced species from Europe where they have no such reputation. The name agrestis means “of the fields”, but is often misconstrued as aggressive.
Honestly, they are of some medical significance. “Although the toxicity and aggression of the hobo spider have long been debated, there is little evidence that the hobo spider is a dangerously venomous species. The CDC reported case studies in the 1990s claiming that the hobo spider bite caused isolated cases of necrosis in people, but as of 2017, the CDC no longer lists the hobo spider among venomous species. In Canada, there is no evidence that hobo spider bites cause skin necrosis.”
Well, used to be.
wow, it can use a computer!