FUNNEL WEB SPIDERS – Family Agelenidae

These spiders live permanently in sheet webs built close to the substrate, with a funnel retreat at the end.  They resemble Wolf Spiders in shape and size, but their eye pattern is very different.  They have 2 large forward facing eyes surrounded in a circle by 6 more small eyes.

The sheet webs of the Grass Funnel Web Spiders (Olorunia spp.) are also very similar to the sheet webs of the Hippasa spp. Wolf Spiders.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Despite the similarity in the name to Australian Funnel Web Spiders - which are known to possess very virulent venom - African Funnel Web Spiders are HARMLESS to humans.

LIFESTYLE: Sedentary and web-bound

HABITAT: low base vegetation and grass

BODY SIZE (excluding legs): 8-12 mm

ACTIVITY: Diurnal and Nocturnal

DANGER: Harmless

Above: Tegenaria sp. - HOUSE FUNNEL WEB SPIDER. (Click on the image for a larger version to see more detail)