Tegenaria parietina

Common card · No. 479195

Tegenaria parietina is a species of spider native to Europe. Its modern day distribution includes area from Northern Africa to Central Asia and Sri Lanka, and from the West Indies to Uruguay and Argentina, where it may have been introduced. In the UK - where it is the largest native species of spider - it is sometimes known as the cardinal spider, because of the legend that Cardinal Wolsey was terrified by this species at Hampton Court, or, conversely, because he regarded them as lucky and forbade anyone to harm them. In 2013, Tegenaria taprobanica was included in this species.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0