Webs and silk cocoons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The word attercop is derived from Old English attor-coppa, the term for spider, taken from Old Norse edderkop (‘poison-head’), referring to spiders having a poisonous sting. Lob and Cob also mean ‘spider’. The term tomnoddy means ‘a foolish or stupid person’.

 

 

The full title of the book is quite laborious, in Swedish: Svenska Spindlar uti sina hufvud-slägter indelte samt under några och sextio särskildte arter beskrefne och med illuminerade figurer uplyste, på Kongl. Vetensk. Societ. i Upsala befallning utgifne.

In Latin: Aranei Svecici, descriptionibus et figuris æneis illustrati, ad genera subalterna redacti, speciebus ultra LX determinati, auspiciis Regiæ Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis.

Translated to English: “Swedish spiders into their main genera separated, and as sixty and a few particular species described and with illuminated figures illustrated, published by order of the Royal Scientific Society in Upsala.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Araneid spiders are also called orb-weavers, from the old English word orb, meaning ‘ball-shaped’ or ‘circular’, in this case referring to the circular webs, which are suspended among vegetation, in fences, and other places. Initially, they make a framework of non-sticky threads, before adding final spirals of threads, covered in sticky drops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Latin aranea, the classical term for spider or spider’s web.

 

It is very variable, the colour ranging from pale yellow to orange, brown, dark grey, or almost black, all with mottled white markings across the dorsal abdomen, often forming a cross.

The specific name refers to the markings on the abdomen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spider sits with one pair of legs in each of the four directions of the X, or aligned with the zig-zag pattern. This often makes the animal extremely visible, and many scientists have speculated as to what purpose this pattern is made. One theory is that its visibility might prevent large animals from accidentally destroying the web. Research has also shown that the pattern reflects ultra-violet light, which may attract prey to the web.

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek argyos (‘silver’) and ops (‘appearance’), referring to the silvery carapace of many of the species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin lobus (‘lobe’), alluding to the sharp ‘thorns’ on the abdomen of the female.

 

 

 

 

 

The female, which is many times larger than the male, can grow to 6 cm in body length, with a leg span up to 15 cm, whereas the body length of males is only around 6 mm.

The generic name is derived from the Greek nein (‘to spin’) and philos (‘love’), thus ‘fond of spinning’. The web of these spiders is enormous, up to 2 m across, with supporting strands much longer. The webs of different females are sometimes inter-connected, together covering many square metres. Small birds and bats are reported to have been caught in these strong webs.

 

The specific name may be derived from the Latin pilus (‘hair’) and pes (‘foot’), referring to the fine hairs on the legs of this species.

Once, when I was hiking up the Marsyangdi Valley in central Nepal, I observed some children throwing something at female hikers, who then screamed and ran for dear life, while the children were laughing heartily. When I asked the children what they were doing to the poor tourists, they showed me several large orb-weavers, which they had collected from nearby webs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is composed of Ancient Greek thrix (‘hair’) and the generic name Nephila (above), referring to the hairy legs of these spiders.

 

The female has a very colourful abdomen, with yellow and reddish-brown patterns. In Japan, it is known as jorogumo, derived from joro (‘prostitute’) and gumo (‘spider’). In Japanese folklore, jorogumo is a legendary creature, known for its allure and deadly nature. It is often depicted as a spider, which is capable of transforming into a seductive woman to lure unsuspecting victims. (Source: jorospider.com/jorogumo-legend)

The specific name is derived from the Latin clava (‘club’), alluding to the knots on the legs of this species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘club-footed’, presumably referring to the striking tufts of hair on the legs of the female.

 

 

 

 

 

Most authorities place this animal in the genus Nephila, which is most odd, as the very closely related African golden-legged orb-weaver, found in southern Africa, and on Madagascar, the Seychelles, Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues, is placed in the genus Trichonephila, named T. inaurata.

Indeed, I find it strange that the animals on the Comoro Islands should be a separate species, as those on all the surrounding islands are regarded as belonging to the African species. So maybe they are the same species?

 

 

 

 

 

Their common names stem from their densely woven web, which resembles a hammock or a sheet. Another popular name of this group is money spiders, from an old European superstition, claiming that if a sheet-weaver spider would run over a person, it would spin new clothes for you – meaning good fortune, moneywise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek linon (‘linen’ or ‘cord’) and phyein (‘to produce’), alluding to the intricate web of these spiders.

 

It is abundant from the entire Europe eastwards across northern and central Asia to the Far East. It has also been introduced to north-eastern United States and eastern Canada. It lives in low vegetation, where it spins a horizontal sheet-web, waiting on the underside for prey. Small insects, which climb on a maze of web threads above the horizontal sheet-web, may fall down onto the sheet, where they are killed by the spider.

The specific name refers to the triangular figures on the abdomen of this species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek pholkos, which is today translated as ‘bow-legged’, but at the time when French civil servant, writer, and scientist Charles Athanase Walckenaer (1771-1852) described the genus, in 1805, it was thought to mean ‘squint-eyed’, and the name may refer to the eye arrangement.

 

The specific name is composed of Phalangium, the generic name of a group of harvestmen, and Ancient Greek oides (‘resembling’), referring to the very long legs of this spider.

The name skull spider alludes to the front part of the body, which slightly resembles a human skull.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is Ancient Greek, meaning ‘beside’ or ‘after’, presumably referring to another group of spiders.

 

The specific name was applied by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille (1762-1833), who specialized in arthropods. The name seems to be a tribute to an ancestor or other relative.

 

 

 

 

 

A cribellum is a sieve-like plate with numerous tiny pores. This plate is situated in front of the spinnerets and is used to produce a unique type of silk with a woolly texture.

 

These spiders are characterized by their web, which has a pattern of rather broad spirals (see picture below).

The generic name is derived from the Latin octo (‘eight’) and noba (‘knob’ or ‘projection’). It refers to the male’s palpal organ, which has 8 distinct projections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The caterpillars feed on foliage, and some species are pests, which cause considerable damage to trees.

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek thaumatoeis (‘marvellous’) and poiein (‘to create’), thus ‘marvelous creation’, referring to the processions of the caterpillars.

 

French entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915) conducted a famous study on the pine processionary caterpillar, described in his book The Life of the Caterpillar (1916). In this experiment, a group of caterpillars marched head-to-tail in a circle around the rim of a flower pot, continuing for a week. He concluded that the caterpillars were mindless automatons, trapped because they were pre-programmed to blindly follow the preceding animal.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek pitys (‘pine’) and kampe (‘caterpillar’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The common name supposedly refers to the ermine-like appearance of these moths.

 

The caterpillars are gregarious, spinning silk webs and feeding on the leaves within them. When the larvae pupate, they spin silk cocoons around themselves, hanging vertically inside the web. These caterpillars often occur in such numbers that the host tree or bush becomes completely defoliated. In such cases, the larvae spin silk threads to the ground, where they pupate under plants.

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek hypo (‘under’) and nemesthai (‘to take food’ or ‘to graze’), thus ‘ to eat beneath’, referring to the caterpillars, which often feed inside silk webs or burrows.

 

The specific name is unexplained.

 

 

 

 

 

It is widespread, found from Europe eastwards to central Asia, southwards to the Caucasus and Kazakhstan. It has also been accidentally introduced to North America.

The specific name is possibly taken from the Italian word padella (‘pan’ or ‘dish’), alluding to the communal webs resembling pans.