Funnel weavers

Overview

Agelenidae is a large family of typical spiders. There are 1,387 Agelenidae species currently recognized as valid in 96 currently recognized genera in 2 subfamilies worldwide, about 114 species and 5 subspecies in 13 genera in 2 subfamilies in North America north of Mexico, and at least 6 species in at least 4 genera in 2 subfamilies in Minnesota. They occur on every continent except Antarctica.

Agelenidae spiders are common in yards, parks, and roadsides. They are best known for the distinctive webs that they create. Webs can be built in any area with rocks, grass, bushes, or a wall that will support the funnel web. They are commonly seen on lawns in the morning, when they are often covered with dew. They are also built on buildings, including on windowsills and porches, or in buildings, especially in dark corners of basements.

The web is a flat sheet with a funnel in which the spider will wait. It may be small or expansive, up to several square feet. It may be sticky to hold prey, or not sticky but with filaments that snare the body or legs of prey. The funnel is usually off to one side, but some species place the funnel in the middle of the web. When a prey is detected, the spider will run out of the funnel, paralyze the captured prey with a venomous bite, and drag it back to the funnel to consume it.

Description

Agelenidae are small to medium-sized spiders, ⅛″ to ¾″ (4 to 20 mm) in length not including the legs. The body is brown with dark and/or light markings. When viewed from above, the front part of the body (cephalothorax) is much narrower in front than behind. When viewed from the side it is relatively flat but is broadly rounded and slopes downward behind the head region.

There are eight eyes arranged in two rows of four eyes each. Both rows are strongly curved and close together, so that the anterior median eyes (AME) and the posterior lateral eyes (PLE) form almost a straight line. The eyes are equal or only slightly unequal in size. The jaws (chelicerae) have three teeth.

The abdomen is oval and elongated. It usually has two longitudinal rows of lines and spots. There are six silk spinning organs (spinnerets). The rear spinnerets are long and are easily seen extending from the end of the abdomen when viewed from above.

The legs are long, brown, and hairy. There are three claws at the end of each leg, but these are not visible to the naked eye.

Distribution

Sources

24, 30, 82, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 8/8/2026).

Agelenidae C. L. Koch, 1837 in Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Abreu, C., Acero P, A., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (2026-07-17 XR). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgykv