Eratigena saeva
| Eratigena saeva | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Agelenidae |
| Genus: | Eratigena |
| Species: | E. saeva
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eratigena saeva (Blackwall, 1844)
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Eratigena saeva is a species of spider found in Europe. It is one of three species of the "Eratigena atrica group", along with Eratigena atrica and Eratigena duellica.[2]
Description
The species looks very similar to Eratigena atrica and Eratigena duellica, and the only reliable way to distinguish it is analysis of the genitalia.[2] Males reach a body length of 10 to 14 mm (0.39 to 0.55 in) and females are slightly larger at 11 to 16 mm (0.43 to 0.63 in).[3]
Distribution
This species is present in Ireland, United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Andorra, France (including the island of Corsica) and Belgium.[3][4] It is also reported in southwestern Canada and northwestern United States.[1]
Habitats
This species is synanthropic and it oftenly occurs in houses, garages and sheds. In warmer localities it can also be found under stones, in rock, stone and tree crevices, in rabbit holes, overhanging banks or very dense vegetation.[3][5][6]
Web
Similarly to Eratigena atrica and Eratigena duellica, this species builds typical sheet-like webs with a funnel-shaped retreat.[7]
Life history
Fertilized females produce egg sacs in the spring and the spiderlings develop over the course of the year. Spiders of both sexes overwinter as juveniles and mature the following year. Mating occurs in autumn, this is the time of year when people have the highest chance to encounter these spiders in their houses since males leave their webs to look for females. The males die after mating but females overwinter with stored sperm and lay eggs in the spring of the following year.[5][3]
References
- ^ a b "Eratigena saeva (Blackwall, 1844)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Giant House-spider | NatureSpot". www.naturespot.org. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ a b c d "araneae - Eratigena saeva". araneae.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ Bee, Lawrence; Oxford, Geoff; Smith, Helen (November 3, 2020). Britain's Spiders: A Field Guide – Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-21180-0 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Summary for Eratigena duellica (Araneae)". srs.britishspiders.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Summary for Eratigena saeva (Araneae)". srs.britishspiders.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Tales of the Unsung Wilderness: Longlegs". Felix. October 18, 2024.