Page 85 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife
P. 85
Weaver Spiders
(Araneidae)
Description These spiders catch and eat the
insects they trap in their webs.
Orb weavers are more physically When an insect touches the sticky
diverse than other groups of web it gets caught. The spider
spiders. They usually have a quickly rushes in and starts spinning
fairly large abdomen, and it and wrapping the insect in more
nearly always overlaps the back webbing to keep it trapped. All
edge of the cephalothorax. The orb-weavers have fangs that they
shape of the abdomen varies a use to bite their prey. The fangs
lot between species. Sometimes have venom glands that produce
it is spiny, sometimes smooth, or toxins which paralyze and digest
sometimes very irregular in shape. their prey.
Nocturnal orb weavers are usually
brown or gray. Diurnal species are The orb web is very distinctive,
more brightly colored and may and is the easiest way to tell that
be black and yellow or orange. a spider belongs to this group.
Females in this group are often Orb webs are flat, and have a
much larger than males. neat spiral of sticky silk that goes
around and around from the
Distribution and Habitat middle to the outer edge.
Orb weavers live anywhere there
are insects to eat and places to
build their webs. They are much
more common in humid habitats
than in dry ones. They are found in
all five physiographic provinces.
Role in Food Web
Orb weaver spiders eat other
insects that get caught in their webs.
Predators include wasps, birds,
beetles and other spiders.
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(Araneidae)
Description These spiders catch and eat the
insects they trap in their webs.
Orb weavers are more physically When an insect touches the sticky
diverse than other groups of web it gets caught. The spider
spiders. They usually have a quickly rushes in and starts spinning
fairly large abdomen, and it and wrapping the insect in more
nearly always overlaps the back webbing to keep it trapped. All
edge of the cephalothorax. The orb-weavers have fangs that they
shape of the abdomen varies a use to bite their prey. The fangs
lot between species. Sometimes have venom glands that produce
it is spiny, sometimes smooth, or toxins which paralyze and digest
sometimes very irregular in shape. their prey.
Nocturnal orb weavers are usually
brown or gray. Diurnal species are The orb web is very distinctive,
more brightly colored and may and is the easiest way to tell that
be black and yellow or orange. a spider belongs to this group.
Females in this group are often Orb webs are flat, and have a
much larger than males. neat spiral of sticky silk that goes
around and around from the
Distribution and Habitat middle to the outer edge.
Orb weavers live anywhere there
are insects to eat and places to
build their webs. They are much
more common in humid habitats
than in dry ones. They are found in
all five physiographic provinces.
Role in Food Web
Orb weaver spiders eat other
insects that get caught in their webs.
Predators include wasps, birds,
beetles and other spiders.
r 81 r
