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A Hackledmesh Weaver

Amaurobius similis

Description:

Lace webbed spiders vary in body size from 7 mm to 12 mm, with large, strong legs. While the species are similar, with the young virtually indistinguishable, A. similis tends to be larger and darker in colouration when an adult, and prefers the indoors. The smaller, lighter A. fenestralis is rarely found inside, and is often observed on outside walls, or on trees, especially under loose bark. Both species have V-shaped markings on their abdomens, with A. fenestralis having two or three of these, and A. similis usually having four. For precise identification, spider genitalia may need to be checked for characteristic differences in the species. All members of the family Amaurobiidae are nocturnal, and their bluish silk, woven into a funnel, is combed into a frayed texture with a calamistrum, a row of stiff hairs on the rear legs. Much like Velcro, the barbed hooks of insects get caught in the furry web, allowing the catching of much larger prey than the spider itself. Around the second year of life, Amaurobiidae spiders lay an average of 40 eggs in a breeding chamber spun of silk, where the mother will protect the eggs until hatching. When the young are born, they will consume their egg yolk, and then devour their mother before emerging from the chamber.

Habitat:

similis(male)2

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7 Comments

JanineLingTurner
JanineLingTurner 10 years ago

thanks a lot, i love to watch them, they are very advanced creatures :)

Dilan Chathuranga
Dilan Chathuranga 10 years ago

Nice!!!

namitha
namitha 10 years ago

Awesome find and cool shot. You have a good collection of spider spottings.

JanineLingTurner
JanineLingTurner 10 years ago

thank-you Jemma, he was a very skittish spider!

JanineLingTurner
JanineLingTurner 10 years ago

thank-you LuisStevens!

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 10 years ago

great find indeed.

LuisStevens
LuisStevens 10 years ago

Great find!

JanineLingTurner
Spotted by
JanineLingTurner

Tunbridge Wells, England, United Kingdom

Spotted on Oct 30, 2013
Submitted on Oct 30, 2013

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