Category: spiders (Page 11 of 14)

Bug of the Week: Orb Spider

We have some new spiders in our yard. Even if you don’t like spiders, you should bear with me on this one, because it is so cool.

First, the spider has a typical orb web, shaped rather like a plate.

See that yellowish blob on the upper right? That is also part of this spider’s web, about two or three inches behind the orb.

Here’s a shot from the side. See the bridge of webbing from the orb to the place where the spider sits?

That pile of debris has a fancy name. It is called a stabilimentum. Early investigators named it that because they thought is was part of the support structure of the web, a web “stabilizer.”

In this closer view, you can see the bridge and stabilimentum more clearly. The yellow cotton parts are acacia flowers from a nearby tree. (This web is in a desert willow).

While taking photos of the orb web, a mosquito flew into the web. The spider was there in no time flat.

It quickly pulled the mosquito out of the web. It must have subdued the mosquito somehow, but the action was too quick for me to see what happened.

The spider took the mosquito back to the stabilimentum immediately and hung it amongst the other debris.

How did the spider get back and forth so quickly? Take a close look at the web and see if you can guess.

Okay, now some of you sharp-eyed folks might have noticed something else about the stabilimentum from the photographs above.

From another angle, you can see the “main” spider is still at the bottom, but there’s a second, smaller spider sitting behind and to the rear.

Any ideas why it is there?

In any case, I don’t know what kind of spider this is, although my best guess is Cyclosa or a near relative. Can anyone help me out?

Bug of the Week: Feather-legged Orb Weaver

The fun thing about Bug of the Week is that sometimes you spot a critter that has been there all along, you just haven’t paid attention to it before. Today’s spider is an example of this. Here’s a little spider that has built a web in the corner and is hanging from it.

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It is a tiny little spider, it’s body is less than 1/3 of an inch long. I have seen these spiders many times before with their long front legs stretched out in front, but they are so small, I never really looked at them carefully.

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In a closer view you can see the front legs have a soft, feathery appearance, which led to the common name of feather-legged orb weaver. They are also called cribellate orb weavers.

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It’s amazing when you look at a macro photograph how the color and details pop out.

I learned from Nature at Close Range that the cribellate orb weavers have no venom, but catch their prey in the hairy front legs.

Now that I have been formally introduced to my fuzzy little neighbor, I’ll be sure to pay more attention to it in the future.

If you or your children are interested in learning more about your spider neighbors, try:

I have more information about these books at baby spiders and some books.

Bug of the Week: Crab Spider Mom

What’s on the underside of this ash leaf?

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Although she’s a few weeks early for Mother’s Day, here’s a diligent crab spider mom.

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She’s guarding her egg case.

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She’s been at it for two weeks now. Look how shriveled her abdomen is.

You go, mom crab spider!

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