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Micrathena sagittata
I spotted this arrow shaped micrathena today while emptying our refuse. I don’t think I have ever spotted one before. It’s quite unique looking! It’s brightly colored (almost chartreuse) with small dark spots, however, it’s small so I almost missed it. The legs are in groups of 2 and not evenly spaced around it’s body. According to what I have read they are not normally seen in Tennessee or in October. So I feel really good about seeing one.
Found in Eastern USA and in Central America. Usually found in the outer edges of wooded or forested areas where they build webs to catch prey. The females are more often seen than males and can be bright yellow or bright green with dark spots. The males are harder to spot and smaller. The females can range 8-9 mm and males are 4-5 mm.
The spinnerets on females are found on the center of the underside of the abdomen as opposed to the end of the abdomen in other spiders. The stickery and pointy shape of the spider serves to be a deterrent to prey. A truly fascinating spider from the family araneidae.
Spotted on Oct 3, 2018
Submitted on Oct 3, 2018
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