| Cardinal Spider (Tegenaria parietina (Fourcroy, 1785)) |
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Scientific name: Tegenaria parietina (Fourcroy, 1785) Common name: Cardinal Spider French name: Tégénaire des murs Order: Araneae Family: Agelenidae Size: 11 to 20 mm for females, 11 to 20 mm for males, the legs are very long and can reach five times the body size. Biotope: Inside buildings, on walls. Web: Flat-shaped web in the corner of a wall with a tubular retreat showing a rounded entry. Observation period: All year round. Geographic area: Europe, North Africa east to Israel, Central Asia. Introduced to Paraguay, to Jamaica, to South Africa and to Sri Lanka. |
Cardinal Spiders are part of the group of house spiders with ringed legs. There are three black spots on each side of the base of the cephalothorax. They can be hardly visible on old spiders. The rather light-coloured abdomen is not sharply marked but generally shows a pale cardiac patch with two or three light-coloured spots on each side. Males show very long legs. There is a possible confusion with Tegenaria ferruginea which is smaller size and really sharper marked. Rings on Cardinal Spiders' legs are not very sharp. The cardiac patch on the abdomen of Tegenaria ferruginea is ferruginous red. |
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I photographed this Cardinal Spider in an unoccupied house where it cohabits with the Dust Spider Eratigena atrica. Rings on the legs are not very sharp. You can see black spots on each side of the cephalothorax base. All this indicates the Cardinal Spider species. |
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Same specimen hanging under its web. It is very hairy. |
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Another specimen found close to the previous one. The cardiac patch is better marked. |
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Here is one Tegenaria spider observed in its hide. My current skills and/or the clues visible on the picture do not allow me to tell the species. |
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The large size of this Tegenaria, the colour far from ferruginous red and the moderately marked leg rings made me opt for Tegenaria parietina. |
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Close-up front view on which you can clearly see the eye pattern of Tegenaria. |
André Bon November 2022