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| Cross Spider | ||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) European garden spider in web
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757 |
The European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) or diadem spider, also called the cross spider in Eastern Europe, is a very common and well-known orb-weaver spider in Western Europe. Araneus diadematus also lives in parts of North America, in a range extending from New England and the Southeast to the Northwestern United States and adjacent parts of Canada.
Individual spiders' colouring can range from extremely light yellow to very dark grey, but all European garden spiders have mottled markings across the back with five or more large white dots forming a cross. The white dots result from cells that are filled with guanine, which is a byproduct of protein metabolism.[1]
The third pair of legs of garden spiders are specialized for assisting in the spinning of orb webs. These spiders also use them to move around on their web without getting stuck. These legs are useful only in the web; while on the ground, these legs are of little value.
Garden spiders have been known to stridulate when threatened.
Since this tends to be a passive animal, it is difficult to provoke to bite - but if it does, the bite is just slightly unpleasant and completely harmless to humans.
The webs are built by the larger females who usually lie head down on the web, as in this photo, waiting for prey to get entangled in the web. The prey is then quickly captured and wrapped in silk before being eaten. Orb Spiders are said to eat their webs each night along with many of the small insects stuck to it. They have been observed doing this within a couple of minutes. A new web is then spun in the morning.
The much smaller male will approach the female cautiously in order to mate. If not careful, he could end up being eaten by her.
Contents |
See also
References
- ^ Foelix, R.F. (1992). Biologie der Spinnen. Thieme (German)
External links
- Extreme close-up showing eyes from Adrian Lozinski's Photography Website
- Araneaus diadematus at Nick's Spiders of Britain and Europe
- European Garden Spider at Hans and Hania's Garden Safari
- European orb weavers at Spiders of NW-Europe
- World Spider Catalog
- An HDR macro picture at flickr.com
Gallery
 European garden spider |
 Picture of a young male European garden spider wrapping up a common flesh fly |
 An underside view of spider while spinning its web. |
 side view of scared, Polish garden spider, in its late summer outfit. |
 Moulted garden spider |
 A garden spider with a wasp |
 Araneus diadematus in the centre of its dew-enshrouded web in Northern Maine. |
 As found in Germany |
 European garden spider wrapping up a wasp |
 Underside view, found in Newfoundland |
 A British Araneus Diadematus |
 Underside, found in California. |
 Hiding in Rhododendron. Found in Oregon. |
