lattice orbweaver

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Lattice orbweaver is a small typical orbweaver. It occurs in the United States from Maine to Georgia, west to Minnesota, Colorado, and Arizona; in southern Canada from Quebec west to Manitoba; and in Mexico. It is found in forests and hedges, and on fences and ivy covered or bare walls.

The female is 3⁄16″ to ¼″ (5.0 to 7.0 mm) in length. The male is much smaller, ⅛″ to 3⁄16″ (4.0 to 5.0 mm) long.

The front part of the body (cephalothorax) of the female is much smaller than the abdomen. It may be yellow, orangish-yellow, or yellowish-brown. On most individuals it is unmarked and uniformly colored. On individuals with a dark abdomen the cephalothorax usually has a dark stripe in the middle. There are eight eyes arranged in two parallel rows of four eyes each. On each side the lateral eyes are widely separated from the middle (median) eyes and are almost touching each other. All of the eyes are small.

The abdomen is round, as wide as long, and variable in color. The front corners, the shoulder (humeral) areas, are smoothly rounded. There are no low rounded humps (tubercles) in the humeral area. The upper side is usually white or light yellow, but it is sometimes purple or pink. There is a row of six small dark spots on each side. The leaf-shaped markings (folium) are usually absent. Often just faint traces are visible. Sometimes the abdomen is mostly dark with four large white or yellow areas toward the front. On the under side of the abdomen of the female there is a white or yellow spot surrounded by a large dark area just behind the genital opening (epigynum).

The legs are short and spiny. The front two pairs project forward, the hind two pairs project backward. They may be yellow, orangish-yellow, or yellowish-brown. The third segment (femur) and fourth segment (patella) on all legs are uniformly colored and unmarked. The remaining segments are pale with dark rings. On the male the fifth segment (tibia) of the second pair of legs is only very slightly curved and thickened. It has only a few long spines and no short spines. The last segment (tarsus) on each leg is hairy and has three claws at the tip, though these are not visible to the naked eye.

Female Body Length: 3⁄16″ to ¼″ (5.0 to 7.0 mm)

Male Body Length: ⅛″ to 3⁄16″ (4.0 to 5.5 mm)

The female spins a 6″ to 8″ (15 to 20 cm) in diameter web with about 25 radii. This web is called an “orb”, which gives this family of spiders its common name. The orb hangs vertically and is usually oblong, much taller than wide. At one side of the orb she builds a very elaborate retreat. The retreat is constructed on the underside of a leaf, and the edge of the leaf is folded over and fastened to protect it. The retreat is thimble-shaped with the narrow end open. From the closed end of the retreat, a silken, cylinder-shaped tube hangs downward. The tube is not solid but lattice-like, with many openings. This is the feature that gives the species its common name, and by which the spider is easily recognized. One or two signal threads extend from the upper edge of the orb to the retreat.

Forests, hedges, fences, and walls

Eggs overwinter.

Sources

24, 29, 30

Location: Woodbury, MN