Tegenaria parietina
| Tegenaria parietina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tegenaria parietina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Family: | Agelenidae |
| Genus: | Tegenaria |
| Species: | T. parietina |
| Binomial name | |
| Tegenaria parietina (Fourcroy, 1785) | |
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Tegenaria parietina is a rather rare European spider with a distribution from Northern Africa to Central Asia and has also been found in Uruguay and Argentina.[1] In the UK it is sometimes known as the cardinal spider because of the legend that Cardinal Wolsey was terrified by this species at Hampton Court.[2]
Appearance
Females grow up to 20mm, males up to 17mm. Legs are approximately three times longer, although some specimens have legs as large as 7.5 cm with a span between front and rear legs of 14 cm. They are reddish brown, but young spiders coloration may be much paler up to the last moult. Up close, they are easily differentiated from T. domestica by the lengths of their legs: the front pair is almost as long as the cousins from Eratigena genus, while the hind pair is unshortened and similar to T. domestica. They also have more abundant hair on their tibias.
Females can live for up to eight years, while males die shortly after mating. These spiders live mostly in buildings or walls. They look rather similar to T. ferruginea.
References
- ↑ Ramírez, M. J., C. Grismado & T. Blick. 2004. Notes on the spider family Agelenidae in southern South America (Arachnida: Araneae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología. 9: 179-182.
- ↑ Arlott, Norman; Fitter, Richard; Fitter, Alastair (1981-05-11). Complete Guide to British Wildlife (illustrated ed.). Collins. ISBN 0-00-219212-8.