View allAll Photos Tagged orbweaver
The more I look at this spider the more creeped out I get. Not out of arachnaphobia, but because it's really weird. All the signs point to this being a typical common male Cross Orbweaver, but it only has 6 legs. It's totally symetrical, so it seems unlikely that it lost a couple limbs to a bird. It's also almost as big as the female of the same species in the same area (see next photo). Male spiders are generally much smaller than their female counterparts.
Really weird spider.
Is this Agalenta redii in one of it's forms please? very distinct markings as it hung precariously from a flowering currant
Esmond Brown Agalenatea redii, yes
John Pitts Brilliant I got one right at last ! Will I-record
Distribution
The spider is widespread in England and Wales as far north as West Lancashire and North-east Yorkshire, but is absent further north apart from one record for south-west Scotland (McCleary 1998). The species is widespread in western Europe as far north as Scandinavia, but only one old record is mapped at the southern tip of Norway (Aakra & Hauge 2000) and the species is apparently absent from Finland.
Habitat and ecology
The species is found in heather and gorse, usually below one metre above the ground, and rough grassland where the spider often makes its web between dead herbaceous stems with a retreat in a dead flower-head. In the north of England the spider is most common on sand dunes, often on creeping willow (J. Newton, pers. comm.). The hub of the medium sized orb web is often covered with fine silk. The spider's abdominal markings show considerable variability (see Jones (1983)). After over-wintering as a sub-adult, adults can be found from late spring to mid-summer.
Status
Local, but the species may be numerous in suitable habitat in the south. It is rare and mostly coastal in north-west England.
Original author of profile: W.J. Partridge
Canon EOS 40D with 199A Speedlite on OC-E3 cord, EF 17-40L lens with EF12II extension tube for nearly lifesize.
Mangora placida or Tuftlegged Orbweaver is a harmless spider that creates and destroys their webs everyday, females are usually the ones you will see more often as the males are much more reclusive and generally spin a small web in the vicinity of a females elaborate web.
Much better large on black :)
I can't tell what this adolescent orb weaver spider was feasting on, but it was distracted enough that it didn't mind me coming in close for some macro shots.
I think this was on my hat!!! I saw something on the brim and I whipped it off, and this was on the ground when I picked the hat back up.
More about marbled orbweavers: extension.psu.edu/marbled-orbweaver-spider
This big guy builds a web across one of our windows every night now. Pretty sure it's just an orb weaver of some sort ..but it's size creeps me out.
This labyrinth obweaver built its web in a bush just outside of my front door. Wind and poor lighting made it difficult to capture a decent photo, but it is such a cool looking spider that I had to try.