Grass Spiders

Agelenidae—Funnel Weavers

Agelenopsis species

Grass spiders are very common in Pennsylvania. The webs, which are large, somewhat concave, mostly horizontal, and sheetlike with a funnel or tunnel located off to one side, are often observed more frequently than the spiders themselves. The webs are found on grass, weeds, and ground covers such as ivy, pachysandra, or periwinkle, and in numerous exterior places such as fencerows, bushes, and brush piles. However, homeowners frequently see these fast-moving spiders indoors in the autumn as the spiders seek protection from falling temperatures.

Description

A grass spider on her web. Photo by Steven Jacobs, Penn State Extension

Besides their distinctive webs (described above), grass spiders can be identified by their greatly elongated hind spinnerets and the dorsal markings on the carapace and abdomen. Females are from 10 to 20 millimeters and the males from 9 to 18 millimeters in length. The carapace is yellow-brown to brown with a pair of darker longitudinal bands extending back from the lateral eyes, and another pair of very thin lines located one on each side of the carapace. The abdomen is generally darker than the carapace and has a lighter median band, sometimes with a scalloped edge. The legs are frequently annulated, darker at the distal ends of the segments.

Life History/Behavior

The female deposits a lens-shaped, white egg sac in the late summer to fall. The eggs hatch in the spring, and after a series of molts, the immatures become adults in late summer. Although it is common to find these spiders entering structures in the fall, the adults do not overwinter.

As previously mentioned, the webs are found in many locations and serve as both a platform on which the spider captures prey and a retreat in which the spider can remain hidden. The grass spider web is not sticky but relies on a network of threads above the sheet to divert or impede insect flight, causing them to fall onto the sheet, where they are captured by the rapidly running grass spider.

Medical Importance

These spiders are extremely fast and shy. Consequently, very few people are bitten. Their bites have been reported to cause pain, swelling, redness, and  itching, with the duration of symptoms ranging from one to ten days but without serious consequences.

Reference

Baerg, W. J. 1936. The Black Widow. Ark. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 325. 34 pp.

Baerg, W. J. 1959. The Black Widow and Five Other Venomous Spiders in the United States. Ark. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 608. 43 pp.

Bradley, R. A. 2013. Common Spiders of North America. University of California Press. 271 pp.

Breene, R. G., et al. 2003. Common Names of Arachnids. 5th ed. The American Arachnological Society Committee on Common Names of Arachnids. 42 pp.

Gertsch, W. J., and F. Ennik. 1983. "The spider genus Loxosceles in North America, Central America, and the West Indies (Araneae, Loxoscelidae)." Bul Amer Mus. Nat. Hist. 175: 24–360.

Herms, W. B., and M. T. James. 1961. Medical Entomology. 5th ed. The Mac-Millan Company, New York. 616 pp.

Howell, W. M., and R. L. Jenkins. 2004. Spiders of the Eastern United States: A Photographic Guide. Pearson Education. 363 pp.

Isbister, G. K., and M. R. Gray. 2003. "Effects of envenoming by comb-footed spiders of the genera Steatoda and Achaearanea (Family Theridiidae: Araneae) in Australia." J. Toxicol. Clin. Toxicol. 41: 809–819.

Kaston, B. J. 1948. "Spiders of Connecticut." Conn. State Geol. Nat. Hist. Survey. Bull. 70. 874 pp.

Kaston, B. J. 1972. How to Know the Spiders. 3rd ed. Wm. C. Brown Company, Dubuque, Iowa. 272 pp.

Levi, H. W. 1959. "The Spider Genus Latrodectus (Araneae, Theridiidae)." Trans. Amer. Microscopical Soc. 78(1): 7–43.

Long, D., R. Snetsinger, and K. F. Helm. 1995. "Localized Pruritic Rash Due to Recurrent Spider Bites." J. Geriatr. Dermatol. 3(6): 186–190.

McKeown, N., R. S. Vetter, and R. G. Hendrickson. 2014. "Verified spider bites in Oregon (USA) with the intent to assess hobo spider venom toxicity." Toxicon 84: 51–55.

Gertsch, W. J., and F. Ennik. 1983. "The spider genus Loxosceles in North America, Central America, and the West Indies (Araneae, Loxoscelidae)." Bul Amer Mus. Nat. Hist. 175: 24-360.

Herms, W. B., and M. T. James. 1961. Medical Entomology. 5th ed. The MacMillan Company, New York. 616 pp.

Howell, W. M., and R. L. Jenkins. 2004. Spiders of the Eastern United States: A Photographic Guide. Pearson Education. 363 pp.

Isbister, G. K., and M. R. Gray. 2003. "Effects of envenoming by combfooted spiders of the genera Steatoda and Achaearanea (Family Theridiidae: Araneae) in Australia." J. Toxicol. Clin. Toxicol. 41: 809-819.

Kaston, B. J. 1948. "Spiders of Connecticut." Conn. State Geol. Nat. Hist. Survey. Bull. 70. 874 pp.

Kaston, B. J. 1972. How to Know the Spiders. 3rd ed. Wm. C. Brown Company, Dubuque, Iowa. 272 pp.

Levi, H. W. 1959. "The Spider Genus Latrodectus (Araneae, Theridiidae)." Trans. Amer. Microscopical Soc. 78(1): 7-43.

Long, D., R. Snetsinger, and K. F. Helm. 1995. "Localized Pruritic Rash Due to Recurrent Spider Bites." J. Geriatr. Dermatol. 3(6): 186-190.

McKeown, N., R. S. Vetter, and R. G. Hendrickson. 2014. "Verified spider bites in Oregon (USA) with the intent to assess hobo spider venom toxicity." Toxicon 84: 51-55.

Ubick, D., P. Paquin, P. E. Cushing, and V. Roth, eds. 2005. Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual. American Arachnological Society. 377 pp.

Vetter, R. S., and P. Kirk Visscher. 1998. "Bites and Stings of Medically Important Venomous Arthropods." International. J. Derm. 37: 481-496.

Vetter, R. S., et al. 2006. "Verified Bites By Yellow Sac Spiders (Genus Cheiracanthium) in the United States and Australia: Where Is the Necrosis?" Amer. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 74(6): 1,043-1,048.

Vetter, R. S., and G.K. Isbister. 2008. "Medical aspects of spider bites." Annu. Rev. Entomol. 53: 409-429.