HOBO SPIDER
Scientific name
Tegenaria agrestis
Size
The average size of a mature Hobo Spider is approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, with a leg span of 1.5 inches.
Description
The Hobo Spider is brown, with darker chevron markings on the back of its abdomen. The ends of the pedipalps on the male are swollen and look like small boxing gloves. The female does not have the swollen ends of the pedipalps, but generally has a larger abdomen.
Distribution
The Hobo Spider is found in the northwestern United States in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming. Outside of the United States, the Hobo Spider is found in southwestern Canada,
Europe, and Western and Central Asia.
Map does not show area of true distribution, only the states in which there is a population.
Actual distribution in any highlighted state may be limited.
Notes
The Hobo Spider is a fast runner. It is often called the Aggressive House Spider, which is not really an accurate description, as the spider is not truly aggressive. It will however, bite readily if it feels trapped or threatened. The Hobo Spider is nocturnal, which means it is active during the nighttime.
The Hobo Spider has been known to have a necrotic bite. This means that the bite causes severe damage to the skin and surrounding tissue, resulting in a large open sore, called a necrotic lesion, that takes a long time to heal. In some cases, systemic effects (i.e. headaches or nausea) have been reported as well. The most notorious spider with a necrotic bite is the Brown Recluse. The bite of the Hobo Spider has often been misdiagnosed as a Brown Recluse bite in the Pacific northwest, where Brown Recluse spiders are not present.
For more information on the Hobo Spider, please see The Hobo Spider Web Site by renowned expert, Darwin K. Vest.
For more information on dangerously venomous spiders, please see the Venomous Links page.
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