Tree Stump Spider with Egg Sac

Description:

During a spider hunt, in the farm, I spotted the egg sac first (Pic #1) and assumed that it was a spider's egg sac because of the numerous silk strands attached to it. However, I had never, previously, seen a spider egg sac exactly like this one. So, I was hoping to see a spider within a few inches of the eggs, but I could not find one. The lighting conditions were not ideal for searching for a small spider. The egg sac was in the dark shadow of a Mango tree, but just a couple of feet away, the shadow ended abruptly and there was very bright sunshine. However, I was lucky because every time I changed my position to get a better view, the silk threads (attached to the egg sac) would glint in the sunlight. So, I concentrated on following these threads, thinking that they would lead to a spider web where I might find the female spider which had laid the eggs. The threads seemed to go on for ever, from one clump of Tropical Whiteweed to another. They all ended at a taller Whiteweed (a little more than two yards away from the egg sac) and there it was - a Tree Stump Spider (Pic #2), but where was its web and why was it so far away from its eggs? I don't know why the spider would be so far away from her egg sac, but the numerous threads which connected the egg sac all the way to the spider's "roost", formed a kind of "skyway" and I have seen spider hatchlings (Argiope aemula) running back and forth on a similar construction - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/21...... The question of the web was answered fairly easily. I came across a scientific paper, mentioned in Notes, which explained that several Poltys spp. construct their webs at dusk and disassemble them at dawn. That was why I could not see any web at around 8:30 a.m.

Habitat:

Spotted in the farm on Tropical Whiteweed (Ageratum conyzoides Linn.) known in the Philippines by various names in many dialects. In our local dialect, this plant is called Salunay. Plant information - http://stuartxchange.com/Bulak.html

Notes:

The scientific paper which confirms that the web is made at dusk and disassembled at dawn. It also confirms great variation within species - https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstrea........