# Tegenaria Gigantea



## Dr Pies (Mar 8, 2005)

Hi,

Thought I'd post a pic of the biggest wild spider we have in the UK.
I believe that it is the fastest spider in the world at something between 8 and 12mph!
I love 'em!   
Is it true that they bite over there in America? Anyone been bitten?


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## Venom (Mar 8, 2005)

As far as I know we don't have T.gigantea in the US. We have T.agrestis, and yes, that spider causes bites. One of the reasons people get bitten is because we have no T.gigantea. In Europe, the larger gigantea competes with agrestis and pushes it out from human habitations, leaving the harmless giants in contact with humans, and the medically significant agrestis out in the country ( which is why you don't hear of agrestis bites from Europe-- the spiders inhabit fields and railways; and railways, I have heard, are gov't property and so trespassing on them is illegal. The removed habitat of T.agrestis thus makes bites less likely due to decreased exposure to humans). Here we have no such inhibition on agrestis, and it is able to colonize human dwellings and cause bites. This is what I have read anyway.


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## Dr Pies (Mar 8, 2005)

Thats strange because I have never seen an agrestis anywhere in the UK.. We have the domestica but that is very similar to the gigantea.. My house is full of them.
Thanks for the info


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## Randolph XX() (Mar 8, 2005)

There are some in Vancouver Canada, i've seen them  catching a big moth b4


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## JPD (Mar 9, 2005)

> As far as I know we don't have T.gigantea in the US. We have T.agrestis, and yes, that spider causes bites. One of the reasons people get bitten is because we have no T.gigantea


T. gigantea are actually quite common in the US.

When T.agrestis made it's way from Europe to the US, it adapted to living near human dwellings as opposed to the fields as is the case in Europe.  Many believe that T.agrestis name is due to it's "aggressive" nature (which is not true), however, the name literally means "mat weaver of the field"

Identification between T.domestica, agrestis, and gigantea really needs to be done by a qualified arachnologist.  Morphological characteristics and locale are not very reliable.



> Is it true that they bite over there in America? Anyone been bitten?


T.gigantea are quite gentle and can be easily handled.  The same is true for T.agrestis and domestica.
The purported bites are likely the result of the unexpected and desparate situations in which the spider has no other option.  Even in the web, you can shoo them out with your hands with little worry of sustaining a bite.

Nice pic btw


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## Dr Pies (Mar 9, 2005)

Its interesting that the gigantea and agrestis have the ability to bite over in the US, as far as I know they cannot pierce the skin here in the UK.
Maybe they have adapted to the harsher surroundings?
Interesting all the same though  Thanks for the replies.


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## Aviculariinae (Mar 9, 2005)

Enjoy


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## Dark Raptor (Mar 9, 2005)

It looks like my T. atrica. 

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=39153&highlight=tegenaria


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## NRF (Mar 9, 2005)

The valid name of _Tegenaria gigantea_ is _Tegenaria duellica_. It is indistinguishable in size and general appearence from _Tegenaria atrica_ and some other large species, but much bigger than _Tegenaria domestica_. I personally don´t think it would be any problem for their fangs to penetrate human skin. There is actually a report from Sweden of a severe bite of a _T. atrica_. So don´t play too much with those pets...


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## Orb Weaver (Mar 10, 2005)

Another interesting fact is that _Tegenaria_ spiders don't digest their food like most other spiders do. Instead of using a digestive liquid, they literally chew their prey until they can "eat" it. That's why it takes up to twice as long to lunch for those spiders.

They also cannot climb smooth surfaces like glass that's why you often find them in bathtubs or in the shower.


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## NRF (Mar 10, 2005)

Orb Weaver said:
			
		

> Another interesting fact is that _Tegenaria_ spiders don't digest their food like most other spiders do. Instead of using a digestive liquid, they literally chew their prey until they can "eat" it. That's why it takes up to twice as long to lunch for those spiders.


Yes, they chew their prey into pieces, like many other spiders do, but I think they spit up digestive liquid into the chewed prey like other spiders which chew their prey do, and then suck it up.

Nor do I think _Tegenaria_s can run at something between 8 and 12 mph. That´s actually as fast as a trotting wolf. Tests in England in the 1970s revealed that _Tegenaria atrica_ could run at 1.9 km/h or 1.18 mph (over short distances). But that´s anyway very fast for a small creature. If compared to size it is equivalent of a 2 metre tall man (or woman) running at a speed of 720 km/h (480 mph)! :worship:


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## Crotalus (Mar 10, 2005)

NRF said:
			
		

> There is actually a report from Sweden of a severe bite of a _T. atrica_. So don´t play too much with those pets...


Do you know if theres a article about this bite? 

/Lelle


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## NRF (Mar 10, 2005)

I´m not sure, probaly not. It was my lecturer who told me about it. He has published some notes on spider bites from Finland. But I will check it up immediately.


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## knightjar (Mar 10, 2005)

Dr Pies said:
			
		

> Its interesting that the gigantea and agrestis have the ability to bite over in the US, as far as I know they cannot pierce the skin here in the UK.
> Maybe they have adapted to the harsher surroundings?
> Interesting all the same though  Thanks for the replies.


We Brits have thicker skins


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## Dr Pies (Mar 10, 2005)

knightjar said:
			
		

> We Brits have thicker skins


lol   

I have never heard of anyone being bitten by the tegenaria species.. I asked my wife today who is american, and she has never heard of anyone being bitten over in the US by them either. 

I admit too that 10-12 mph seems slightly too fast


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## Crotalus (Mar 10, 2005)

Dr Pies said:
			
		

> lol
> 
> I have never heard of anyone being bitten by the tegenaria species.. I asked my wife today who is american, and she has never heard of anyone being bitten over in the US by them either.
> 
> I admit too that 10-12 mph seems slightly too fast


 http://www.hobospider.org/

/Lelle


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## Dark Raptor (Mar 10, 2005)

Dr Pies said:
			
		

> I have never heard of anyone being bitten by the tegenaria species.


My younger sister was bitten by adult _T. atrica_ female. She had only moderate pain and she had inflammatory state around that wound. After few hours everything was ok.
I was bitten by small (2 cm) specimen, but it wasn't painful. I had more problems with bug _Notonecta_. That was really nasty bite.

So as you see, we Poles, haven't got thick skin


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## Fenris (Mar 11, 2005)

Crotalus said:
			
		

> http://www.hobospider.org/
> 
> /Lelle


A little off topic...

My uncle knew Darwin Vest and had dinner with him a week or two before his disappearance in 1999.


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## Crotalus (Mar 11, 2005)

Strange that he vanished. Wonder what happened to him. I hope he was not on the plate at the dinner.... 

/Lelle


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## Immortal_sin (Mar 11, 2005)

The whole story of Darwin Vest is very intriguing....he just completely disappeared, and to this day, nobody knows what happened. Sorry for the thread derailment, but it's a subject that fascinates me. He was the pioneer for the work done with the hobo spiders. Hopefully someday we'll find out what happened to him.


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## Fenris (Mar 14, 2005)

Most of my family doesn't think that there was foul play involved.  They think that since he was walking so close to the snake river in winter he could have slipped on ice of fallen somehow into the river.  I almost drown in that river when I was younger, so I know how strong the currents are in it.  I just don't understand why anyone would want to cause him harm, so I have a littleh ard of a time believing the foul play theory.


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## NRF (Mar 21, 2005)

Crotalus said:
			
		

> Do you know if theres a article about this bite?
> 
> /Lelle


I have tried my best to figure out where the information originally came from. My lecturer who told me about it in 1998 said that he probably got it from Giftinformationscentralen (Information center for poison/venom) in Finland. He has him self published som notes from Finland (see below). I called the center but they did not find anything on _Tegenaria_, but they promised to try to find some info about it. The one I talked to remembered a case in Finland with a cellar living spider which gave a woman a quite painful bite in her shoulder. This case is published and it concerned _Steatoda bipunctata_. In the article there are also bite reports of _Argyroneta aquatica_, _Araneus_ sp., _Dolomedes fimbriatus_ and _Sosticus loricatus_:
Terhivuo, J. 1983: [Observations on spiders having bitten man i Finland] (In Finnish with English abstract). - Memoranda. Soc. pro Fauna Flora Fennica 59: 151-152.

And another one on some more cases (_Cheiracanthium oncognathum_ & _Trochosa spinipalpis_)

Terhivuo, J. 1993: Novelties to the Finnish spider fauna (Araneae) and notes on spiders having bitten man - Memoranda. Soc. pro Fauna Flora Fennica 69: 53-56.

Since the case with _Tegenaria atrica_ was from Sweden they might have notes on it at your Giftinformationscentral.


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## Lorgakor (Mar 25, 2005)

Dr Pies said:
			
		

> I have never heard of anyone being bitten by the tegenaria species.. I asked my wife today who is american, and she has never heard of anyone being bitten over in the US by them either.


They are so common here I half expect to find one every time I go in my bathroom! I know a lot of people who have been bitten by them. Usually it is because they come out at night and get tangled with people in their bedsheets. I myself have been bitten several times. All you find of the poor spider is a squished body!   It depends on the person how they will react to the bite. I found it to be very itchy for several days. The bite mark turns into a scab from so much scratching. But I've also seen people with more severe reactions to it, swelling and scarring. I've held T. gigantea many times and never been bitten, so I agree with whoever said that they only bite when they have no other choice.(ie: tangled in bed sheets) They are fabulous spiders, and they get super big! I caught one the other day and put it in a container, but it just ran around in circles until I let it go!


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## NRF (Apr 8, 2005)

Crotalus said:
			
		

> Do you know if theres a article about this bite?
> 
> /Lelle


Jess, I finally found it!
The bite which I referred to is documeted at the Giftinformationscentral in Sweden. A Swedish woman was bit in her hand by _T. atrica_ (id. by Riksmuséet, Stockholm, T. Kronstedt) in 1966. The woman was taken into hospital for a day because of lowered blood pressure caused by an allergic reaction.


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## Crotalus (Apr 8, 2005)

NRF said:
			
		

> Jess, I finally found it!
> The bite which I referred to is documeted at the Giftinformationscentral in Sweden. A Swedish woman was bit in her hand by _T. atrica_ (id. by Riksmuséet, Stockholm, T. Kronstedt) in 1966. The woman was taken into hospital for a day because of lowered blood pressure caused by an allergic reaction.


Thanks! I´ll give them a call on monday.

/Lelle


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## NRF (Apr 9, 2005)

Crotalus said:
			
		

> Thanks! I´ll give them a call on monday.
> 
> Since no bite reports seem to be published from Sweden it would be worth to ask for info on other bites as well and write a short article about it in for example Fauna och Flora, and ecourage people to report bites and save the (mashed) spider for identification.


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## Lorgakor (Apr 18, 2005)

Found this guy in my basement living room so I thought I'd post a couple pics. Man are these guys fast little buggers!!


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## Laurie (Sep 24, 2005)

Dr Pies said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> Thought I'd post a pic of the biggest wild spider we have in the UK.
> I believe that it is the fastest spider in the world at something between 8 and 12mph!
> ...


Actually, we do have them in America. I don't live in America, but they live around Idaho. We also have them in a little area around southern B.C. Canada. Live in Vancouver, and actually have one as a pet. So far she hasn't bitten me, she's endured alot of handling calmly.


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## 8 legged freak (Sep 25, 2005)

*Tegenaria gigantea???*

here is my tegenaria sp. i think it is gigantea but i have no idea    maybe someone good help me out   thanks well here he/she is freshly moulted today   (i'll get better pics later)


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## Laurie (Sep 26, 2005)

8 legged freak said:
			
		

> here is my tegenaria sp. i think it is gigantea but i have no idea    maybe someone good help me out   thanks well here he/she is freshly moulted today   (i'll get better pics later)


What a cutie. Male or female?


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## supersonic525 (Sep 26, 2005)

These spiders seem to be getting more common in the UK, I have never seen as many as this year. Getting bigger too, I caught an extremely large _gigantea_ not so long ago with a total leg span of 14cm!

And on to the biting, my Grandma was once bitten on the foot by one as she put a shoe on (dunno what it was doing in there!), apparently it gave a bit of a nip but there was no other effects.


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## 8 legged freak (Sep 26, 2005)

no idea   it's only small, approximatley 1" legspan maybe   i'll measure him/her tomorrow


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## lejaders (Aug 25, 2006)

we have those in Vancouver.
i saw one this morning..


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## Gigas (Aug 25, 2006)

this thread been dead nearly a year 

But here's a freshly moulted ultimate male


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## JPD (Aug 25, 2006)

I received a mature male yesterday from a local guy who had taken it to my paranoid veternarian. 
When he presented it to her, she said to kill it immediately because it was an "Aggressive House Spider" / "Hobo"  She went on to tell him that he needed to call an exterminator because these spiders are very dangerous and can jump on you.
He called back later to get more information about the "Hobo" at which point a friend of mine who works with the vet gave him my number.
I brought it home, had a look at the sternum and the palpal bulbs and wow, big surprise, T.gigantea.
It's sad that there are people out there like my vet.  People in positions in which others take their word as gold.
When I talked with my vet many months back about spiders, she showed me a collection of "Hobos" that she had and refused to believe they were anything else.
I told her that, even if they were Hobos that she was more in danger from the formalin that she has them in then from the actual spider.
Well, who am I to tell a "veternarian" whats what.
Anyhow....she was wrong then and she was wrong again yesterday.


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## pitbulllady (Aug 25, 2006)

Speaking of _Tegenaria gigantea/duelica_, does anyone have experience keeping these in captivity?  I'd really like to get a big female, although I have not found any recently(we DO have them, though), so I'd probably wind up having to buy one and having her shipped.  I'd really appreciate some care/housing info before I get one, though.  I've started keeping _Kukulcania hibernalis_, another true spider, and they have proved quite rewarding, comparable to a small tarantula, and I'd like to branch out to other true spiders.

pitbulllady


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## Gigas (Aug 27, 2006)

Well i have/do keep tegenaria sp. just for fun and they seem to do fine.
i keep mine quite humid, 60-70% i would guess but ive never measured, make sure whatever your keeping them indoesn't have smooth sides, because the Won't be able to climb or web. 
I keep mine in a smooth sided tub but with cardboard running around a corner for her. Feed not too often once a week apart from after a moult fastthen they get a few(with T's you ormally look to a darkening rump to signs of an upcomming moult with tegenaria the legs darken)
there is a water bowl just for humidity sake, the spid will drink from water droplets on her web from misting(only really needed to be once every week/2weeks if your keeping them humid) and make sure they've got something to squeeze behind, i'll stick up a pic of hertub in a sec.
i know someone who tried to keep these from a small size and met some difficulty, i recomend a 1 inch legspan starter spider.

PIC EDIT
overview





size (roughly 12 inches)





Her corner





her






Somethin i would like to point out, even though its hard to make ou there is webbing nearly everywhere in that container and i need to put larger pieces of carboard in there so it reaches the corners.

Like i said i do this for fun, not the most dazzling set of care instructions but ive raised up a male till maturity(let him go forth and multiply) and this female is doing excellent


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## The wolf (May 10, 2017)

Dr Pies said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thought I'd post a pic of the biggest wild spider we have in the UK.
> I believe that it is the fastest spider in the world at something between 8 and 12mph!
> ...


I'm sorry to be a pain but the uks biggest spider is the fen raft spider but the giant house spider comes pretty close with some sources saying it's bigger than the fen raft spider.


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