Eratigena agrestis
(Hobo Spider)

Featured spider picture The spider species Eratigena agrestis, commonly known as Hobo Spider, belongs to the genus Eratigena, in the family Agelenidae. Eratigena agrestis spiders have been sighted 11 times by contributing members. Based on collected data, the geographic range for Eratigena agrestis includes 3 countries and 5 states in the United States. Eratigena agrestis is most often sighted indoors, and during the month of October.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Agelenidae
Genus: Eratigena
Species: Eratigena agrestis

Common Name (AAS)

Hobo Spider

Other Common Names

Aggressive House Spider (inaccurate, but occasionally still used)

Author

Charles Athanase Walckenaer, 1802

Primary Colors

Sightings Overview

There have been 11 confirmed sightings of Eratigena agrestis (Hobo Spider), with the most recent sighting submitted on August 8, 2019 by Spider ID member jessicamh88. The detailed statistics below may not utilize the complete dataset of 11 sightings because of certain Eratigena agrestis sightings reporting incomplete data.

Web: 18% of the time, Eratigena agrestis spiders are sighted in a spider web (Sample size: 11)
Sex: 0 female and 4 male.
Environment: Eratigena agrestis has been sighted 3 times outdoors, and 8 times indoors.
Outdoors: Man-made structure (2). Under rock or debris (1).

Location and Range

Eratigena agrestis (Hobo Spider) has been sighted in the following countries: Canada, United Kingdom, United States.

Eratigena agrestis has also been sighted in the following states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington.

Seasonality

Eratigena agrestis has been primarily sighted during the month of October.

January:
February:
March: 1
April: 2
May:
June: 1
July:
August: 2
September:
October: 4
November: 1
December:

Additional Remarks

Currently no solid scientific evidence suggesting that the venom of this species is of medical significance in humans.
Knowledge of the hobo spider’s bite and venom has evolved over the years with more recent research being published. It has officially been removed from the CDC’s list of “dangerously venomous spiders,” even!
The nickname “aggressive house spider” sometimes comes from peoples’ mistaken translation of the name agrestis. Also, the spider’s movements, or at least the purposes for them, are often misunderstood by people unfamiliar with spiders.
Similar looking species in North America include Tegenaria domestica and Eratigena atrica. These are often mistaken for one another, but are actually quite different when seen by an experienced eye.
Sternum has a solid, pale stripe down the center with dusky sides, as opposed to Tegenaria domestica and Eratigena atrica, which have pairs of spots on the sternum instead.
Palps of the males are significantly larger (wider) than those of Tegenaria domestica and Eratigena atrica. In images, this can often help with separating them.
Found around and outside of man-made structures; not typically living indoors. Specimens found indoors have probably inadvertently wandered in from outside, especially adult males during mating season.