Araneomorph Funnel-web Spider

Family Agelenidae (contains approx 500 species in over 40 genera worldwide)

Appearance

Funnel Web Spider (Family Agelenidae)
  • Up to 1.5” in length.
  • Dark brown / black in colour.
  • Smooth / glossy shell.
  • They are named after the shape of their webs.

Lifecycle

  • They reach maturity after 2-4 years.
  • Males survive up top 9 months after maturity, whereas females will live another 10 years or so.
  • These spiders are active all year long – they do not hibernate over winter.
  • Females usually stay in the burrows, but the males wander looking for mates.

Habits

  • Most funnel webs are nocturnal.
  • They live under rocks and inside rotted logs or dense underbrush. They dislike dry air so only tend to be visible if the weather is humid or in wet weather if their burrows flood.
  • They are very fast in movement.
  • They produce large, funnel shaped webs - up to 100 times the size of the spider itself - with a ‘trip line’ which alerts them to movement nearby.
  • Not all Funnel web spiders are poisonous.