Agelenidae
(Funnel Weavers)

Picture ID 97847

Picture of Agelenidae (Funnel Weavers) - Dorsal
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Southernborn

Looks like a jumping spider

galvantula

Either a Grass Funnel-web or a Wolf Spider. There are lots of species with this coloration.

TangledWeb

I attempted to learn whether the number of claws on the spiders’ feet (tarsal claws) could be used as a way to rule out some families of spiders in identification. So far, all I’ve found is that Wolf Spiders have three per leg. This spider appears to have two, but there may be a third I can’t see. I couldn’t find any charts, or barely any other info online about spider claws. If anyone knows of a good source please add a link.

ItsyBitsy

Agelenidae has three claws also. I almost never use a key because I learned to ID without one so I had to look that one up.

TangledWeb

I learned the strict tedious way – from the start of a massive key only. We had to write it out at every taxonomic level from Kingdom down, none of that ‘ looking at the pictures stuff.’ ;(

ItsyBitsy

My way was harder in the short term. I had no idea what I was doing, taking pictures of spiders in my house and spending uncountable hours trying to find them with google.

TangledWeb

And there was much less accurate info available online when you started. I’ve been learning spiders your way, it involves a lot of early memorization. Keys don’t work well with photos of spiders. They are much more useful for plants. My specific morphological focus was on plants and insects in college. When I take plant photos for later ID, I take photos of undersides of leaves, roots, stems, buds, etc. My phone’s Photos file looks sadly obsessive and boring to anyone who snoops into it – lots of plant parts and blurry spiders.

TangledWeb

Yes Agelenopsis spp. spiders are super fast. Unfortunately a microscope is needed for species identification. I haven’t brought myself to kill one to identify it yet. I’ve handled enough dead animals in labs . If you work with Formalin or formaldehyde, wear gloves please! We weren’t required to and I didn’t. I permanently lost some sensation in the skin of my hands. I also developed sensitive reactions to products that contain the chemical. From your presentation of the spider I get the impression that you are a student or work in the Biology field. Grass spider webs aren’t sticky enough… Read more »

galvantula

Sometimes when people find out I’m into bugs they ask me if I collect insects (like on pins in boxes). I don’t. Too many scary chemicals involved in that process.

TangledWeb

The many things I do collect always end up with a big mess of things waiting to be identified and put away in an organized way. Like the basement storage areas of many museums. I decided that a heaps of dead bugs impaled with pins collection is not a good match for me or anyone who visits my house.

TangledWeb

You’re quite welcome! You chose a great field to study with a wide range of jobs.

ItsyBitsy

There are several very similar genera out west so I can’t give a firm ID, I don’t think this is an Agelenopsis however. Compare to Hololena nedra: https://bugguide.net/node/view/237303/bgimage

TangledWeb

I see what you mean, the prosoma and posterior are more rounded than Agelenopsis.

ItsyBitsy

Stockier legs and relatively shorter spinnerets are what I notice.

ItsyBitsy

I pointed to nedra because it’s the only one in the genus listed with a range in Washington.

ItsyBitsy

Calilena and Novalena are two other similar looking genera with spp. in WA. Scroll down here to see known ranges here, sometimes ranges are incomplete but it will give you an idea: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1974

Additional Pictures

Picture of Agelenidae (Funnel Weavers) - Male - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Agelenidae (Funnel Weavers) - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Agelenidae (Funnel Weavers) - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Agelenidae (Funnel Weavers) - Dorsal Enlarge Picture