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Metepeira labyrinthea
Metepeira labyrinthea, the labyrinth orbweaver, is a small spider, with thin legs and a round, bulbous abdomen; it is a member of the Araneidae family, of genus Metepeira. The female’s length is 5.3 mm. The carapace is brown or gray, and the abdomen is dark with a white pattern. The legs alternate pale brown and dark brown, and the sternum is dark brown with a longitudinal yellow mark. The male spider is three-quarters of the female’s length, or slightly larger, with a darker carapace and with greater contrast between dark and light areas of the legs. Metepeira are easily distinguished from other Araneidae by their light eye region, white median line on the sternum, relative length of the leg segments, small male palpus, weakly sclerotized epigyne and the special composite web.
Meadow.
This one measured less than 5 mm long.
7 Comments
Thanks for your kind comment Lars!
Jacob, it was barely 5 mm long! I find it amazing how macro can make such a tiny guy look so intimidating, but I guess what we are seeing is an ants eye view!
And another awesome spider from you, Karen. Excellent!
What a daunting photo!
Thanks Gerardo!
Wow incredible grate series Karen!
Thanks Heather! It's the first time I've found one of this species & it was very cute!
that last pic is sooo cute. great find!