Distinguishing a hobo spider from other common spiders requires understanding its unique visual characteristics. This guide clarifies specific features to help identify this arachnid.
Overall Size and Coloration
Hobo spiders display a brownish coloration, varying from light to medium brown or a rusty hue. Their bodies are robust and slightly flattened. Adult females measure between 9.5 to 16.5 millimeters (3/8 to 5/8 inches) in body length, while males are slightly smaller, ranging from 7 to 13.5 millimeters (9/32 to 9/16 inches). This body length excludes their legs, which contribute to a larger overall appearance.
The cephalothorax, the fused head and thorax region where the legs attach, is brown with darker brown markings. Color alone is not a definitive identifying characteristic due to variations within the species and similarities with other spiders.
Key Identifying Markings
The hobo spider’s abdomen features a distinctive pattern of “chevron” or V-shaped markings. These yellowish markings are set against a grey background and point towards the spider’s head. This pattern can be faint or less discernible, especially in mature specimens, sometimes requiring magnification for clear observation.
The cephalothorax generally lacks distinct, dark longitudinal stripes, showing indistinct or diffused patterns. A key feature for hobo spiders is the absence of distinct dark bands or rings on their legs. If a spider has clear banding on its legs, it is likely not a hobo spider. The sternum, on the underside of the cephalothorax, may have a light stripe down the middle or light spots on the sides.
Legs and Other Distinctive Features
Hobo spiders have long, slender legs that are uniformly brown, matching their body coloration, without any banding or spots. These legs appear smooth, despite being covered in fine hairs known as plumose setae. These hairs lay nearly flat against the body and are difficult to see without magnification.
The hobo spider has eight eyes, arranged in two straight rows of four eyes each. This eye arrangement is a consistent feature, distinguishing them from other spider species. Male hobo spiders also have enlarged pedipalps, small, leg-like appendages near their mouthparts. These pedipalps can resemble “boxing gloves” and are more pronounced in males than in females.
Distinguishing from Similar Spiders
Hobo spiders are mistaken for other common spiders due to similar appearances, but visual distinctions exist. Wolf spiders are larger and hairier than hobo spiders, displaying distinct body markings like stripes or spots, and have prominent leg patterns with banding. A key difference lies in their eye arrangement: wolf spiders have two very large, forward-facing eyes, with smaller eyes arranged differently, while hobo spiders have eight eyes in two nearly straight rows.
Grass spiders, another group confused with hobo spiders, also build funnel-shaped webs. However, grass spiders have distinct longitudinal stripes on their cephalothorax and have banded legs, which hobo spiders lack. Common house spiders, while sharing brown coloration, tend to have a more rounded abdomen with darker markings and construct messy, tangled webs. Giant house spiders, closely related to hobo spiders, can be difficult to distinguish, but a key difference is that giant house spiders have dark bands on their leg joints, which are absent on hobo spiders.