Subject: In the Agelenopsis genus????
Geographic location of the bug: Canada, Ontario, Ottawa
Date: 09/23/2017
Time: 07:35 AM EDT
Hello! There’s a big spider web on my porch. I’ve been watching it grow, throwing moths in there all summer. Because of how massive the web is, it’s really hard to snap a clear picture of the spider. However, one morning, I spotted a second spider wandering in and around the web. Looks exactly like the one who ones the web but it’s got a thinner body and longer legs. I’m suspecting it was a male wandering for the female. Either way, I’ve made a bit of research in my identification book but can’t find a spot on description/picture of them. Here’s a clear picture of the suspected male and a blurry picture of the suspected female!
Thanks for everything you do, I love wandering on your website!
How you want your letter signed: Madeleine Blais
Dear Madeleine,
Though we cannot make out the spinnerets in your image, and the spinnerets of Grass Spiders in the genus Agelenopsis are generally quite prominent, we believe you are correct that this is a male Grass Spider from that genus. Here is a BugGuide image for comparison. Since the female has been living in a web, that is additional evidence that this is a Grass Spider or Funnel Web Spider. Thanks for the kind words.
