Scientific name Eratigena Higher classification Agelenidae Order Spider | Family Agelenidae Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications Giant house spider, Hobo spider | ||
Eratigena is a genus of spider in the Agelenidae family. Most of its species were moved from the genus Tegenaria in 2013. Two species that frequently build webs in and around human dwellings are now placed in this genus. Eratigena agrestis is the hobo spider, native to Europe and Central Asia, introduced to North America. Eratigena atrica is the giant house spider, native to Europe and also introduced into North America.
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Eratigena atrica giant house spider catching fly
Phylogeny
Species now placed in the genus Eratigena were previously placed in Tegenaria and Malthonica. In 2013, a study was carried out on European house spiders in the "Tegenaria-Malthonica complex". Using both morphological and molecular data, the study found four well-supported clades, one of which constituted a new genus Eratigena, comprising species formerly placed in Tegenaria and Malthonica. The name Eratigena is an anagram of Tegenaria. (Some Tegenaria species had previously been separated into the new genus Aterigena, another anagram of Tegenaria.)
Although the genera involved in the study were consistently found to be monophyletic, different analyses found different relationships among them. Based on both morphological and DNA data, one hypothesis for the phylogeny of Eratigena and related genera is:
Identification
Bolzern et al. (2013) provide a key to the European agelenid genera. Eratigena can be differentiated from Malthonica by the un-notched trochanters on legs III and IV (notched in Malthonica). The genus differs from Tegenaria in the number and size of the teeth on the rear margin of the chelicerae. Eratigena has six or more teeth, with those closer to the body of the spider being smaller. Tegenaria has three to six large teeth, more or less equal in size.
Species
As of November 2015, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: