Silver Orb Weaving Spiders
Humped Orb Weaving Spiders; Silver Orb Weavers
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creative commons
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Leucauge
- Family
- Tetragnathidae
- Super Family
- Araneoidea
- Suborder
- Araneomorphae
- Order
- Araneae
- Class
- Arachnida
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 1 cm
Introduction
Silver Orb Weaving Spiders are recognised by their long, silvery bodies.
Identification
Silver Orb Weaving Spidersare easily recognised by their silvery body, with yellow or green and black markings. They are long-bodied, long-limbed spiders. The abdomen often has rounded 'shoulder' humps that give these spiders their other common name of Humped Orb Weaving Spiders.
Habitat
The Silver Orb Weaving Spider is often found amongst understorey vegetation in moist forest and woodland habitats, including streamside and swampland vegetation.
Silver Orb-Weaving Spiders build small flimsy, horizontal webs among shrubs and grasses or over water.
Distribution
Silver Orb Weaving Spiders are found throughout Australia.
Feeding and diet
Silver Orb Weaving Spiders remain in their webs during the day and capture flies and other small insects.
Predators
Predators of orb weaving spiders include several bird species and wasps of the family Sphecidae. The wasps land on the web, lure the spider to the perimeter by imitating a struggling insect's vibrations, and then carry the spider away to be paralysed and stored as live food for their young.
Danger to humans
Orb weaving spiders are reluctant to bite. Symptoms are usually negligible or mild local pain, numbness and swelling. Occasionally nausea and dizziness can occur after a bite. Silver Orb Weaving Spiders have very small fangs and they are timid and reluctant to bite.
Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.
References
- Simon-Brunet, B. 1994. The Silken Web: a natural history of Australian spiders.Reed Books.
- York Main, B. 1976. Spiders. The Australian Naturalist Library, Collins.
- Connell, N.T. 2001. Brood Cell Provisioning By Wasps Of The Family Sphecidae. Entomology 325, Cornell University.
- Blackledge, T.A. and Pickett, K.M. 2000. Predatory Interactions Between Mud-Dauber Wasps (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) and Argiope (Araneae, Araneidae) in Captivity. The Journal of Arachnologyhttp://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_tocs/JOA_v28n2.html#211
