funnel weaver

spider

Also known as: Agelenidae, agelenid, grass spider

Written by

Melissa Petruzzello

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Britannica Editors

History

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Agelenidae

See also list of spiders.

funnel weaver, (family Agelenidae), large family of more than 1,000 species and nearly 100 genera of spiders known for their flat webs that narrow as a funnel at one end. They are a common group with many species that are distributed worldwide. Funnel-weaver spiders are unrelated to the venomous funnel-web spiders (family Dipluridae).

As their name suggests, funnel weavers are web building spiders and spend the majority of their time waiting in ambush in the tubular retreat of their funnel-shaped webs. The outstretched front legs receive vibrations from the web, and an entangled insect is quickly bitten and carried back to the retreat to be consumed. Most species are very fast runners and can deftly navigate their webs. The webs are typically built in the grass, under boards and rocks, in the corners of buildings, and among debris.

(Explore Britannica’s Types of Spiderwebs interactive)

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

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Animal Group Names

Major genera and species

Funnel weaver spiderA labyrinth spider (*Agelena labyrinthica*) consuming prey in its silken retreat.

The labyrinth spider (Agelena labyrinthica) is a common species found in low grass and vegetation throughout in Europe and into Central and East Asia. This species and other funnel weavers have been extensively studied by sensory physiologists for their remarkably good spatial perception and orientation in their webs.

The giant house spiders (Eratigena atrica, E. duellica, and E. saeva) are common in European houses and are among the largest spiders of Central and Northern Europe. The cardinal spider (Tegenaria parietina), found throughout much of Europe, Central Asia, and Northern Africa, is the largest funnel weaver. The hobo spider (Eratigena agrestis, formerly Tegenaria agrestis) of western Europe may have a medically significant bite, but this claim remains contested.

The grass spider (Agelenopsis naevia) is a common North American species and varies greatly in size and color. The body of the male may be up to 8 mm (about 0.3 inch) long; the female grows to about 19 mm (about 0.75 inch). Two wide, dark stripes often extend the length of the anterior part of the body. The body color ranges from pale yellow to dark reddish brown. The spider lives for one year.

Tens of thousands of barn funnel weavers (Tegenaria domestica), together with tens of thousands of a sheet-web weaver (Prinerigone vagans), were responsible for what scientists described in 2025 as the world’s largest known spiderweb, discovered deep inside Sulfur Cave on the Greek–Albanian border. The immense silken structure, composed of layers and layers of interconnected webs, is estimated to cover more than 93 square meters (1,000 square feet) and represents a rare example of large-scale communal web building in two unrelated groups typically considered solitary.

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