Missouri Department of Conservation
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Funnel Web Spiders

Agelenopsis spp.
Family: 
Agelenidae (funnel web spiders) in the order Araneae (spiders)
Description: 

A unique web is characteristic of this group of spiders and is more often noticed than the spider itself. The web is sheetlike, usually positioned horizontally, with a funnel leading downward to a shelter (a rock crevice or dense vegetation). Though it is often smaller, the sheet may be up to 3 feet wide and the funnel portion over a foot long.

Funnel web spiders have a pair of broad, dark, brownish bands running lengthwise adjacent to a lighter middle band on the lightly haired and roundish carapace. The legs are cream and dark yellowish-brown. The abdomen is oblong, brown, with a broad, reddish-brown, zigzag stripe with a cream-colored border on both sides. The spinnerets are noticeably long.

Two species of funnel weavers are found in Missouri, Agelenopsis naevia and A. pennsylvanica. Although the former is usually larger and darker, their similar color patterns make them difficult to distinguish.

Size: 
Length: females about 1/2 to 3/4 inch (not including legs); males are slightly smaller.
Habitat and conservation: 
These spiders typically build webs several inches above the ground in short grasses and in the window wells of outbuildings. They are common in lawns. Funnel weavers hide in the concealed area of the funnel and then dash out onto the sheet portion of the web to capture an insect caught in or walking across the silken platform.
Foods: 
Beetles, harvestmen, moths and small butterflies are frequent food items. Funnel web spiders dart quickly from the funnel and must quickly decide whether a vibration on the web is a food item, a fallen leaf or something dangerous to be hidden from.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Statewide.
Life cycle: 
As a general rule, spiders hatch from eggs in spring and spend the growing season eating, maturing, mating and laying eggs. Females are capable of creating webs; males are not. Females continue creating egg cases as long as the weather holds out. As temperatures cool in fall, their metabolism slows, and they generally die when it freezes. Egg cases overwinter, and spiderlings hatch in spring.
Human connections: 
Spiders prey on numerous insects that are pests to humans. The web of funnel weavers is not sticky, and it can be amusing to tap gently with a twig on the surface of the web, prompting the spider to rush out of her tunnel. She quickly realizes she's been duped and rushes back into hiding.
Ecosystem connections: 
These little hunters help control the populations of the many species they consume. Meanwhile, they, and their eggs and young, often are eaten by other predators. The funnel not only enables these spiders to surprise their prey, but also helps them hide from their many predators.

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