Image: W31- tangle web

W31- tangle web

W31 - tangle web. Web2spider Identification Guide.

Illustrator:
Helen Smith
Rights:
© Australian Museum

Additional information

  • Tangle webs with long lines always go down to a firm surface (e.g. ground or log).
  • Retreat in dense tangle, thimble shaped, usually under shelter.
  • Sticky droplets near ends of long lines only.
  • The retreat may be of thickly tangled silk and often contains egg sacs as well as a spider, which hangs upside down.
  • The long lines are catching points. Crawling animals get stuck to the sticky droplets that are near the end of the long lines. These lines have a weak point just above the substrate so the line breaks and the elasticity takes the prey up toward the spider.
  • Small prey such as ants can get caught in a single line, but larger prey such as small mammals and lizards can get caught in many lines. 

Last Updated:

Tags Web2spider, spiders, webs, Bugwise, Identification Guide,