This calico-colored spider is the labyrinth orbweaver (
Metepeira labyrinthea)in the family
Araneidae. There are 13 species within this genus occurring throughout North America. They are fairly small spiders with a legspan about the size of a nickel. The front legs are much longer than the other pairs of legs and are banded in two-tone brown and tan. Their abdomen is oval-shaped and bulbous and is a deep reddish brown in color with distinct white markings.
Their common name comes from the type of web they are known for weaving. They build an orb-shaped web running vertical of a maze-like "labyrinth" located above and behind the orb. These webs will be found 3 to 5 feet above the ground in shrubs. This messy labyrinth often contain bits of debris or leaves woven in such a way to give the spider a retreat for safety. The web of this species is so distinct that it is possible to ID the spider before even seeing it.
Females reach maturity in late August or early September and you may encounter males hanging out in the web with them. After mating the female will create eggs sacs as uniquely shaped as their web is. Each egg sac is lenticular or lentil-shaped. The biconvex eggs are guarded by the female, as seen here, and are located near the entrance of the retreat. She will weave them with silk attached to small twigs. The female dies by late fall or early winter, but the egg sacs will remain attached to the twigs until spring at which time they hatch. The spiderlings will cluster together for a few days before ballooning and dispersing themselves into the environment.
At the end of a tagging session last night we started the discussion with the statement it's just a bug. We then had the participants tell us their thoughts and why these insects were so beneficial.
ReplyDeleteSpiders aren't insects.
DeleteJust wanted to comment on how much I enjoy your site here. The pictures are prolific, and the descriptions always very detailed and fun to read. I try to swing by regularly.
ReplyDeleteI have a labyrinth orb weaver egg sac that opened early and I have the spiderlings in a small enclosure. Winter is approaching and I was under the assumption and from reading your article that this egg sac should have stayed closed till spring. When found it was late August maybe September and the mother was with it and then she wasn’t. And unfortunately my father in law disturbed the egg sac because it was in our garage and somehow opened it by mistake. I was able to save it and the spiderlings but now I’m scared they won’t make it till spring and don’t want to release them too the cold. Any advice would be greatly appreciated to save these beautiful spiders. If you need my personal info to message me back I don’t mind sharing. Sorry for the long comment.
ReplyDelete