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My pet garden spider, the Agelena labyrinthica This funnel web spider is basically my pet. It is in our garden for months now, and each day I check on its state and web. By now its&#039; web is huge. It consists of a funnel (left top in the photo), a large horizontal platform (where it is standing on), and some very lengthy vertical lines that act as traps. <br /> <br /> Usually it is in its funnel hiding, or facing the funnel, but today it was out. Upon a closer look, it seems to be feeding on the head of a hover fly. I wanted to come closer than this, but I can&#039;t. The web is so large that coming closer means touching a wire, which will trigger an immediate escape back into the funnel.<br /> <br /> I find this spider of species quite fascinating due to its complex web and behavior. Here&#039;s a photo of another one I captured about a year back:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/11251/the_funnel_of_death.html" title="The Funnel of Death"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/11251_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=ieCHh7b4tYGj2ujVS0%2FhN4qcjPc%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="The Funnel of Death This photo is best appreciated fullscreen. I&#039;ve been seeing spider webs in a tunnel shape quite frequently in my area but never with a spider in it until this day. This is the Agelena labyrinthica, a spider that builds a complex web system, where one part of the web is horizontal and used for catching prey, whilst the connected tunnel(or funnel) is for retreating. Check out how this species is excitingly feeding on a large pile of aphids. Agelena labyrinthica,Geotagged,Heesch,Macro,The Netherlands" /></a></figure> Agelena labyrinthica,Europe,Heesch,Macro,Netherlands Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

My pet garden spider, the Agelena labyrinthica

This funnel web spider is basically my pet. It is in our garden for months now, and each day I check on its state and web. By now its' web is huge. It consists of a funnel (left top in the photo), a large horizontal platform (where it is standing on), and some very lengthy vertical lines that act as traps.

Usually it is in its funnel hiding, or facing the funnel, but today it was out. Upon a closer look, it seems to be feeding on the head of a hover fly. I wanted to come closer than this, but I can't. The web is so large that coming closer means touching a wire, which will trigger an immediate escape back into the funnel.

I find this spider of species quite fascinating due to its complex web and behavior. Here's a photo of another one I captured about a year back:

The Funnel of Death This photo is best appreciated fullscreen. I've been seeing spider webs in a tunnel shape quite frequently in my area but never with a spider in it until this day. This is the Agelena labyrinthica, a spider that builds a complex web system, where one part of the web is horizontal and used for catching prey, whilst the connected tunnel(or funnel) is for retreating. Check out how this species is excitingly feeding on a large pile of aphids. Agelena labyrinthica,Geotagged,Heesch,Macro,The Netherlands

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The Agelena labyrithica

"Agelena labyrinthica" is a species of spider in the family Agelenidae. It is a widespread species in Europe.

Info 19 1
Similar species: Spiders
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Aug 22, 2014. Captured Aug 22, 2014 13:35.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D800
  • f/3.2
  • 1/40s
  • ISO100
  • 105mm