Elongate stilt spider

Description

Elongate stilt spider is a common, small to medium-sized, long-jawed orbweaver. It occurs in North America and Central America. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains and on the West Coast, with just a few scattered records in between.

Adults are active from April to October. They are found near water in meadows, marshes, shrubby wet areas, and wild rice beds.

The female is 5⁄16″ to ½″ (8.2 to 13.2 mm) in length. The male is smaller, 3⁄16″ to 7⁄16″ (4.8 to 10.5 mm) in length.

The front part of the body (cephalothorax) is slightly longer than wide, somewhat flattened, and hairless. The color of the upper side (carapace) and of the legs is variable, ranging from orange to orangish brown to brown, and from light to medium dark. There is a longitudinal furrow in the middle, and indistinct, darker bands radiate from it.

There are eight eyes arranged in two rows of four eyes each. The rows are nearly parallel, but the lateral eyes are closer together than the median eyes. All of the eyes are on black spots and are the same size. The jaws (chelicerae) on both sexes are very large and as long or longer than the carapace. This is the feature that gives the family Tetragnathidae its common name.

The abdomen is much longer than wide. The upper surface is pale yellowish or whitish with a mesh-like network of medium to light brown lines and a central, dark brown or black, leaf-shaped marking (folium).

The legs are slender. The first and second pair are very long and they extend forward. The third pair are much shorter and they extend straight out to the side. The fourth pair are very long and they extend backward.

Size

Female total length: 5⁄16″ to ½″ (8.2 to 13.2 mm)

Male total length: 3⁄16″ to 7⁄16″ (4.8 to 10.5 mm)

Web

A large, circular web (orb) is built in a shady area, often in woods, over or near water. The web is on a single plain and it is usually nearly horizontal, but sometimes it is vertical. After the web is built the center is cut out, leaving an open hub. There are 4 or 5 spirals near the center, an open space, then 30 to 40 more spirals to complete the orb.

Similar Species

Habitat

Meadows, marshes, shrubby wet areas, and wild rice beds. Always near water.

Ecology

Season

April to October

Behavior

The spider conceals itself on a grass blade or a stalk by extending the front two pairs of legs forward, the rear pair back, and clutching the blade or stalk with its short third pair.

Life Cycle

Food