Hobo Spider vs Wolf Spider

The quick tellHobo spiders build funnel webs and have a herringbone pattern. Wolf spiders hunt on the ground without a web and have two big forward-facing eyes.

Photo: Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hobo spider

Harmless · Eratigena agrestis

Brown funnel-web spider with a herringbone pattern on the abdomen
Plain brown legs
Funnel-shaped web in window wells, wood piles and basements

Size: 0.4–0.6 in. Habitat: Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies; introduced from Europe.

Once blamed for wounds like a recluse bite. Later studies found no evidence that its bite causes them.

Photo (Carolina wolf spider, the largest US wolf spider): Toby, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Wolf spider

Harmless · Lycosidae

Hairy brown or gray spider with stripes or mottling
Eight eyes; two large ones face forward and shine in a flashlight beam
Hunts on the ground, no web
Females carry the egg sac and young on their back

Size: 0.4–1.4 in. Habitat: Lawns, leaf litter and fields; wanders into houses in fall.

Bites are rare and mild. Wolf spiders are not dangerous to people.

Where each one lives

Hobo spider only
Wolf spider only
Both
Neither

Hobo spider: 6 states. Wolf spider: 50 states. Both live in 6 states.

Side by side

	Hobo spider	Wolf spider
Danger	Harmless	Harmless
Size	0.4–0.6 in	0.4–1.4 in
States	6	50
Habitat	Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies; introduced from Europe	Lawns, leaf litter and fields; wanders into houses in fall

Questions

How can you tell a hobo spider from a wolf spider?

Hobo spiders build funnel webs and have a herringbone pattern. Wolf spiders hunt on the ground without a web and have two big forward-facing eyes.

Which one is dangerous?

The hobo spider: harmless. The wolf spider: harmless.

Where do both live?

Both live in 6 states: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington.