# Hobo spider

*Eratigena agrestis*

**Identification confidence:** Needs an expert — Hobo spiders cannot be reliably separated from related funnel weavers without microscopic examination. Reports are also frequently made far outside the species' actual range.


## How to recognise it

- Brown with a faint herringbone or chevron pattern along the abdomen, and uniformly coloured legs without distinct bands.
- Reliable separation from other funnel weavers requires microscopic examination of the genitalia — it cannot be done from a photograph.
- Builds a flat, horizontal sheet web with a funnel-shaped retreat at one edge, typically low down and in dark corners.

## What it leaves behind

- Flat funnel webs in window wells, along foundation lines, in garages, and in basement corners.
- Fast-running spiders at floor level in late summer and autumn.

## Why an infestation persists

Formerly listed as a spider of medical concern, the hobo spider's claimed role in necrotic lesions is not supported by current evidence and it has been removed from that classification by health authorities. Verify a suspected identification against your regional extension service.


## Where it occurs

The Pacific Northwest and parts of the northern Rocky Mountain states. Reports outside this region are almost always another species.

## What prevents it

- Seal gaps at grade, in window wells, and along foundation lines.
- Reduce clutter and stored material in garages and basements.

## Commonly confused with

- **Brown recluse** (*Loxosceles reclusa*) — Six eyes arranged in three pairs forming a semicircle, rather than the eight eyes of nearly all other spiders. This requires magnification and is the only reliable diagnostic feature.
- **Wolf spider** (*Lycosidae*) — Eight eyes in three rows, with two very large forward-facing eyes that reflect light brightly under a torch. A recluse has six eyes in three pairs and no eyeshine.

**Verdict:** monitor-and-assess. Identification is unreliable outside a laboratory and the species is far less significant than its reputation suggests.

Source: https://againstpest.shop/identify/spiders/hobo-spider/