Length Female 9 to 10 mm, male 6 to 9 mm. Fairly large and hairy, it has long legs and varies in colour from pale to dark brown. The abdomen has variable sooty markings. Males have a more slender abdomen than the females and longer legs. The genus Tegenaria has recently been split: Tegenaria spp. have banded legs, Eratigena spp. have plain legs. Beyond this distinction, species can only be identified by examination of the genitals of mature specimens. 

This species can only be confirmed by examination of the genitals of mature specimens. 

In homes and outbuildings etc.

All year round.

It makes a flat sheet-like silk web, typically with a tubular retreat at one corner. Male spiders are usually seen more often than females, as they wander widely in search of a mate. After a male has found a female's web he will stay with her for a number of weeks, mating with her repeatedly during this time. He then dies and the female eats him; the nutrients within the male contribute to the development of his young.

Common and widespread in Britain.

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

1168 British records to Jan 2013