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Photo#995950
Hobo Spider - Eratigena agrestis

Hobo Spider - Eratigena agrestis
Renton, King County, Washington, USA
September 11, 2014
Same as main image - close-up

Images of this individual: tag all
Hobo Spider - Eratigena agrestis Hobo Spider - Eratigena agrestis

I renamed Hobo Spider after s
I renamed Hobo Spider after seeing they were speciated (is that a word - if not should be) as Eratigena agrestis - yet the one comment says "Probably T. domestica. However, the coloration varies and there are some other spiders that look similar.". I had read that for true identification a look at the genetalial under good magnifying glass or microscope (esp. for female) was necessary. I really WANTED it to be a Hobo, but my strongest wishes might not make it so.

 
Although ...
it's said that examination under a microscope is necessary for a firm ID - that could be said of any spider. When everything is taken into consideration (range, shape of carapace, pattern on carapace and abdomen, length of legs and whether or not they're hairy or annulate, eye arrangement, length of spinnerets...) I'm unaware of any other species these could be confused with.

Here's some that were IDed with genitalia, you can see they're pretty much a spot-on match to yours. One is male and one female, I can't tell what gender yours is from your photos:

 
I would...
...go with Laura's ID since she has much more experience in these than I do! :) However, it is true that these are tricky to ID. Back in the the day, Eratigena agrestis was also labelled under the Tegenaria genus.

 
Identification
That's great - thanks.

Are these likely to bite if unprovoked? I've never had a problem handling things when I can allow them to CHOOSE to crawl on my hand.

With somehting more prone to unprovoked bites/stings, or a more venomous payload, I use a transfer technique... have them crawl on a leaf and from there to my hand. I don't do a ton of this, as I prefer pictures looking more natural anyway. But sometimes having on the hand, in hte field, allows me to turn them more easily, etc, trying to get a shot of a specific feature.

Thoughts?

 
They are not likely to bite ...
if unprovoked. Here are some videos of other BugGuide members handling confirmed Hobo Spiders (I don't necessarily recommend trying this however):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gVEAhFBeHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PMg_pjjg0Q
More info here:
http://www.spiders.us/species/eratigena-agrestis/

 
Bite Damage
I had to change to Firefox because IE safety settings would not allow me to view the HS(EA) links.

Interesting - LadyArachnophile (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PMg_pjjg0Q) suggests current research suggests necrotic lessions once associated with this species are now suspected of not being from the venomation. is it known if they are suspecting it's another species venom, or instead the result of a secondary cause like a microbial necrosis? (No worries if no answer immediately available, I decided not to go through all the literature she listed!)

 
I haven't heard ...
of any other species being suspect. Other causes like secondary infection and other medical conditions are more probable, everyone's immune system is different though!

 
Hobo Spiders and necrotic tissue
I suppose most likely a common skin-borne organism we come "equipped" with. Thanks for the additional comments!

 
Handling Hobo Spiders
Thanks Laura! My instinct suggested probably okay, but sometimes, when not being tempted by an individual within your control, not a bad idea to ask anyway. ;-)

 
Usually...
...I don't handle spiders since they are unpredictable. However, I did have a very calm wolf spider that I handled a few times. Generally speaking, I consider them to still be "wild" animals despite the fact that many have been raised as young. Whatever the case, I usually won't risk the potential possibility of being tagged! Cheers! :D

 
I can certainly understand th
I can certainly understand that approach. ;-)

 
iNat Post
Just seeing these comments again for first time in quite a while. This subject posted on iNat, although yet to have the ID validated.
--> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32746765

Spiders generally do not scare me, and if I have a way to allow one to crawl on me, especially for a closer picture, I would not hesitate where I live now (would not likely do so in some countries though). First time I saw a tarantula when living in Arizona many years ago I could not help myself and immediately let it crawl on my hand so I could more fully appreciate it.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Yes
Appears so. Probably T. domestica. However, the coloration varies and there are some other spiders that look similar.

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