identify spider

[John_M]

Originally Posted by tremault

Hi, I signed up to let you know that I believe your spider is a giant house spider.
this is a different species from the common house spider and they do indeed grow very large. you don't normally see 'house spiders' this large because the common ones don't grow that big and the giant house spider is rarer.

also, these are the second fastest spider in the world and the only spider indigenous to the uk that can pierce human skin with it's jaws.
you are justified to be scared of it. it can't cause you serious injury but if you are allergic, you could need medical attention if bitten.
don't be scared though. it is rare. if you kill it or put it outside, it is unlikely you will see it again. i've only seen three of these in my entire life.

As No.9 says, there are several species of Tegenaria; there are more than one species called 'house spider', depending on where you're from.
There are quite a few species indigenous to UK that are capable of piercing human skin, but I can't think of any reason to be scared unless you know you are allergic. Spiders are generally reluctant to bite, and despite handling Tegenarias with bare hands for many years, I have yet to be bitten.

[tremault]

no.
Tegenaria duellica. giant house spider.
it is the only species of the whole Agelenid family to be able to bite through human skin properly.

I don't know how much expert you are, but if you have not seen this article or edited it, then perhaps you can improve it? - Giant house spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not fond of people 'correcting' me after I spent time to do research.
please don't do it.

[nikolai_avenger]

Is Wikipedia the extent of your research?

Cheers. Nik.

[John_M]

Originally Posted by tremault

no.
Tegenaria duellica. giant house spider.
it is the only species of the whole Agelenid family to be able to bite through human skin properly.

I don't know how much expert you are, but if you have not seen this article or edited it, then perhaps you can improve it? - Giant house spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not fond of people 'correcting' me after I spent time to do research.
please don't do it.

So are you talking about spiders 'indigenous to the uk' or are you only talking about Agelenidae?
If a single Wikipedia article is the extent of your research, which it appears to be, then you can hardly be surprised at being corrected. In future I will leave you to your misconceptions.

[tremault]

Originally Posted by John_M

If a single Wikipedia article is the extent of your research, which it appears to be, then you can hardly be surprised at being corrected. In future I will leave you to your misconceptions.

excuse me??

your friend up there said quite clearly.

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

'House' spider is the common name for Tegenaria, there is no 'giant' house spider.

if my one wikipedia article is enough to prove him wrong then i would say i done a fair bit more research than that guy.

i see how it is. you think you experts are so special. a person who can read plain information has no chance of being so special as you are.

I see it was a mistake signing up to this site to answer a persons query which had gone ignored for TWO YEARS by you so called experts, but as soon as i come along with some actual information you all start swaggering round here to try and make yourself look big.

I may not have studied spiders all my life but at least i know how to step outside my own little world. I found the giant house spider after a few hours of research whereas you guys seem to be totally oblivious to it.
I suggest instead of being so pompous , maybe you should do more research in the field you profess to be competent in.

OH NOES HE LOOKED AT WIKIPEDIA. yeah sue me. I actually like to learn about things before spouting my hole.

[tremault]

Originally Posted by John_M

So are you talking about spiders 'indigenous to the uk' or are you only talking about Agelenidae?

I missed a word. 'house spider' is what i meant to say.
the topic was about 'house spiders' so i wasn't thinking about other species.

[No.9 Spider]

tremault, I think you'll find that there are no 'experts' as such on here, but rather enthusiastic amateurs.
I have personally had an interest (most people who know me would say obsession) in spiders for about 45 years and have amassed a large amount of books on the subject dating back to 1704. I also collect and identify British species and foreign ones also when the opportunity arises. I have collected and bred Theraphosids (tarantulas) in the past for almost 30 years, having up to 500 at any one time. I am simply fascinated by spiders.
None of the above makes me an expert and like anyone else I will get things wrong on occasion. I can't keep up with the change in latin names of spiders and orders of the families, and rarely do so I'm often at fault in recalling outdated info. You need to step back and chill out a bit, this is a good website and forum with like minded enthusiasts, though like any text based communication the text can lack accentuation and comments can be wrongly interpreted.

On the subject of Tegenaria as this post is about, Tegenaria duellica was until not so long ago known as Tegenaria gigantea. This probably accounts for the interpretation by an author in the wikipedia article in giving a common name to T. duellica ie: taking gigantea as 'giant'. It is unfortunate that common names do not assist in correct i.d's of many species and there is so much misinformation on the net it shopuld not be taken as read. If there were to be a 'giant' house spider, it would, by any stretch of the imagination be Tegenaria parietina - common name 'Cardinal' spider as already pointed out.

[John_M]

Originally Posted by tremault

excuse me??

your friend up there said quite clearly.

if my one wikipedia article is enough to prove him wrong then i would say i done a fair bit more research than that guy.

i see how it is. you think you experts are so special. a person who can read plain information has no chance of being so special as you are.

I see it was a mistake signing up to this site to answer a persons query which had gone ignored for TWO YEARS by you so called experts, but as soon as i come along with some actual information you all start swaggering round here to try and make yourself look big.

I may not have studied spiders all my life but at least i know how to step outside my own little world. I found the giant house spider after a few hours of research whereas you guys seem to be totally oblivious to it.
I suggest instead of being so pompous , maybe you should do more research in the field you profess to be competent in.

OH NOES HE LOOKED AT WIKIPEDIA. yeah sue me. I actually like to learn about things before spouting my hole.

It's more the fact that you only looked at Wikipedia; I wouldn't say that the content of that article proves no. 9 wrong. Having read many of his posts and having been corrected by him on more than one occasion (for which I am grateful), I would be far more inclined to accept his opinion than Wikipedia. As stated, there are a large number of knowledgeable people on this forum and they share their knowledge freely. The difference is that all can back their knowledge up; ie they have done their research, which most likely consists of something more than believing the first Wikipedia article they read.
As for finding Giant House Spider after a few hours research, I found Simurgh after a few seconds research, and no doubt most people on this site would be equally oblivious to that.
You really should try to loosen up a bit, and enjoy what this site has to offer.

[tremault]

good responses. you shown yourself to be good guys.
your initial responses gave me the impression you were arrogant but it now seems that is not the case.
the assumption that i read only wikipedia is almost as bad as what one might infer about a person who only reads wikipedia for their information. it shows lack of depth of understanding and jumping to conclusions.
I gave wikipedia because it is usually verified by many people and it was the quickest example i had to hand.
I have trawled many sites looking at many pictures and i have looked through what encyclopaedia i have on my bookshelf.