Horned spider, or spiked orb-web spider. A special type of arachnids is the spinners. Spiders whose web-weaving skills are admired

Despite the intimidating appearance of the orb-web spider in the photo, the description of its life cycle debunks the myth of the extreme predatoryness of the animal and the danger to humans.

According to the international taxonomy of animals, the genus of spiders Nephila (Nephila) is included in the family, which has two synonymous names at once:

1. ancient Greek Nephilidae;
2. latin

In the Russian-language version of the classification of arthropods, they are called Orb-weavers.

Any of the names of these spiders fully corresponds to their abilities: if the Greek nema- and -philos are literally translated as “loving to weave”, then the Russian one indicates the circular shape of the trapping network of this category of arachnids.

The appearance of a typical representative

The entire structure of the spiders of the genus Nephila (hereinafter in the text: spiders-nephiles, or nephiles) is adapted for unhindered, easy and rapid movement.

Spider-web spider according to the photo and description has:

• incredibly long legs, allowing you to take huge steps;
• extremely low weight relative to the huge total area of ​​\u200b\u200bsupport with widely spread paws.

The area of ​​the end segment of the leg is so small that for it the thin fiber of the cobweb serves as a completely reliable support.

Spider weaver

Given the fantastic strength and degree of elasticity of the threads of the trapping net, it is not surprising that the orb-web spider walks along the structure it has built as easily as a person skis on snow.

When looking at its narrow and as if streamlined body, a comparison with a racing car suggests itself, next to which the sometimes huge body of a caught victim seems like a clumsy bulldozer or excavator.

A scattering of small spots of bright color on the abdomen and legs, visually splitting the body into separate fragments, perfectly masks the predator, even located in the very center of its trap.

Where are the nephiles found

Despite the prevalence of nephil in the world, each species lives in conditions that are comfortable for it. Thus, the garden orb-web spider is considered a typical representative of the fauna of Australia.

And if a spiked orb-weaving spider (also called a horned orb-weaving spider) cannot meet a Russian citizen either (because it lives in humid and sultry tropics), then for Argiope lobata orb-weaver spider, the habitat is the semi-deserts and steppes of the Crimea, Central Asia and the Caucasus .

At the same time, the green orb-web spider (or Araniella cucurbitina) is a rare but common inhabitant of the forest, where it can be found at the very beginning of summer.

Spider Araniella cucurbitina

The most common orb-web spider found near human habitation is an ordinary cross, the details of whose life are well studied by arachnologists - biologists specializing in the study of arachnids.

About the life cycle and reproduction of nephil

Males in different types of nephil spiders can be up to 10 times smaller than the female in size. Their life also does not differ in duration - after mating, they are usually killed and eaten by recent sexual partners, with special luck, the male manages to fertilize several spiders during the season.

Sometimes they have to patiently wait a few weeks until the future "wife" sheds, during this period of life she is less belligerent.

An example of spider eggs

Carefully sealed in a dense and warm cocoon, laid and hidden in a secluded place, the eggs overwinter, so that offspring hatch from them in the spring.

Being passive predators, spiders wait for a small animal to get into the network they have built, which is killed by the secretion of poisonous glands. Its enzymes, injected upon bite, cause the body of the victim to be digested while the spider rests in the nest.

Orb-spin tetragnathoides catching a hornet in its web

After the required time has passed, it returns to suck out the liquid formed inside the chitinous shell of the prey from the action of the poison's enzymes.

About traps and catchers

The main distinguishing feature of the nephil from other families of spiders is the ability to build a trapping network of a huge area (up to 1 m in diameter) within 1 hour, which has a regular radial-spiral structure (hence the name "orb-web spider").

The weaving of trapping nets and their skillful use is the main occupation of the life of the Nefil. So, if a poisonous insect (wasp, bee) sticks to the web, the threads around the dangerous prey break. The threads that have become unusable are eaten by the spider to serve as material for a new trap.

It is a spider, because, given the preoccupation of males with the abandonment of offspring, they themselves do not knit a web, or they have it in the form of a disorderly structure with randomly tangled threads.

Ladybug caught in a web

But built by the female, it is distinguished by impeccable proportions, and the shape, size of the cells, the thickness of the thread is adjusted to the expected size and resistance of future prey. The shape and size of the grid also depends on the weather and the time of year.

In addition to sticky threads, the design of the trap also includes dry silk threads - spiders run along them without sticking.

Spider of the family araneidae

The unheard-of strength of spider silk proteins (with 5 times the tensile strength of steel wire) and its elasticity (greater than that of nylon) serve as the basis for the existence of both individual members and the entire Araneidae family.

On the danger to humans and the value of spiders for wildlife

The toxicity of the venom of orb-web spider species (any) is designed only to kill prey, therefore the chemicals included in it are not dangerous for human life, although they can cause sensitive pain.

In addition to ensuring their own survival, arachnids provide wildlife with an essential service.

They participate in the process of evolution, regulating the number of some animal species, among which the strongest and most adapted to living in given conditions survive.

As for a person, the number of certain types of insects (planting pests, disease vectors and other categories) is also important for his activities, especially when living in hot tropical countries.

Video: Amazing Spiders (Spider-web)

The nature surrounding a person is not always friendly towards him. However, often what looks intimidating on the outside, in fact, is not so. This can also be attributed to the garden orb-weaving spider, the very name of which indicates its main occupation and outstanding weaving abilities. It should also be added that representatives of this species are one of the very first living organisms that appeared on Earth long before man. The time of their appearance dates back to the Cretaceous period.

What does it look like

The orb-web spider does not differ in the structural features of the body. Like all his relatives, he has:

• cephalothorax;
• abdomen.

Important!Female Orbweavers boast longer walking legs than males, and their chelicerae are more venomous.

On the first part of his body are six pairs of legs, and only four of them contribute to movement. The two remaining pairs have different names and have a different purpose:

• pedipalps - precede walking legs. They perform several functions at once. It is both an organ of reproduction, and touch, taste and smell. They are also called "leg tentacles";
• chelicerae - look like claws, and it is in them that there are poisonous ducts. These two pairs of limbs are located simply in the spider's mouth.

The spider has the following external characteristics:

• their abdomens are of different sizes. It especially increases in females bearing offspring;
• the color of the spider can be greenish, brown, gray, black with yellow speckles, white or black and white;
• three pairs of spider glands are located below the abdomen;
• the body size of females and males is different. In females, the length reaches from 15 to 25 mm, males are much smaller - 9–11 mm;
• the body of spiders is covered with an external skeleton, and the abdomen and cephalothorax are connected with a stalk;
• The eyes of these predators are very small. Vision is an unnecessary luxury for them, as they get along well with other senses. However, four pairs of eyes are located in two rows - on the forehead and on the crown.

Habitat and lifestyle

This type of arthropod is also called garden spiders. Very often, walking in the garden or picking berries from a bush, you can see his trapping net. They also like to weave webs near fences or in weeds. In any case, preference is given to sunny and wind-protected places.
It is not easy to see the hunter for easy prey himself. Usually during the day he hides in his shelter - under the nearest leaf. There he hangs, resting, on a cobweb. But at night comes the period of activity. At this time, the spider catches its prey, swinging in the very center of the dangerous lace.

Did you know? In one of the London museums, an unusually beautiful golden dress was presented, which took four years and a web of a million orb-web spiders to make.

What does it eat

Spiders have an excellent appetite and can eat food much larger than their own in a day. However, they also have significant breaks in nutrition - from a year to a day. The diet of circle weavers includes:

• flies;
• mosquitoes;
• vile;
• small grasshoppers;
• crickets;
• pollen and fungal spores;
• web.

Digestive juice is injected into the trapped prey, which turns the insect into a kind of homogeneous soft and viscous substance, which the spider draws into itself like a cocktail.

Orb-weaving spiders build their web in a special way. If crickets often get into their networks, then they make large cells, if the prey is not so large, then they reduce the holes in the web.

Did you know?Cambodian women« milked» nephil and pull threads from their arachnoid glands, which are wound on a spindle. Then they make rugs from such yarn, and men make fishing line for catching fish.

How to weave a web

The web is a special kind of art. It is a kind of triangle, one side of which is in the air, and the other two are connected to each other near the ground. Inside this triangle, a web is woven, diverging from the center to the edges in the form of a spiral.
The web has a very neat appearance - the cells of one row do not differ from each other in size and increase in proportion to the web. Its radius can vary from a few centimeters to a meter. The main threads have a special adhesive coating, barely touching which, the victim will no longer be able to free himself. And the spider along the dry "paths" will painlessly get to it.

Did you know? Some Orb Weavers even managed to go to space. And in conditions of weightlessness, the pattern of their web remained unchanged.

By the way, weaving begins with dry threads, after which the spider proceeds to trapping nets. A rather thick thread is stretched through the finished web, which serves as a kind of “bell” - it is thanks to its vibrations that the spider understands that it is time for him to have lunch. After eating the next prey, the spider checks its web and pulls up stretched threads or connects broken threads. It takes about 1-2 hours for the spider to complete this masterpiece. Males do not participate in weaving.

poisonous or not

These spiders can be considered harmless. Although they, of course, can bite if there is a threat to him or his home. The bite site will swell and turn red after a while, and in the center of it two small wounds will be clearly visible. After 2-3 days, the skin will return to normal. Although they hold the title of the most biting, their venom is mainly used to digest food.
Spiders bring great benefits not only to the ecosystem, but they have faithfully served a person for a huge number of years. They cleanse nature from harmful insects (up to 400 such individuals can get caught in their net per day). The finest silk is made from the web, from which beautiful dresses, gloves and other clothes are then obtained.

Important!The bite of this spider will not bring fatal health consequences.

In microsurgery, optics and instrumentation, it is difficult to find a full-fledged analogue of this thinnest and incredibly durable natural remedy. Even the treatment of wounds and burns is carried out with the help of a special cobweb film, which contributes to the speedy regeneration of the skin. Therefore, having met somewhere in the country or in the forest with the inconspicuous author of this masterpiece, there is no need to destroy it. Let him live his life and continue to benefit people.

Spiders orb-weavers (lat. Araneidae) have 3 thousand varieties, united in 170 genera. They differ from others in size, color. The largest representatives live in tropical countries, weave a web within a radius of up to 2 m. Local residents use a "canvas" folded in several layers to catch fish. In our area, weavers can be found everywhere. They love forests, gardens, a sunny meadow.

Photo and description of appearance

Color, sizes are different - from 5 mm to 28 cm. Small, medium-sized specimens live on the territory of Russia. The body structure is typical - a convex abdomen, cephalothorax. The limbs are long, powerful, connected to the cephalothorax. Only 4 pairs. The color is gray, brown, black with various spots, patterns, stripes or without them. Photos of orb weaver spiders can be seen below.

On a note!

From the front of the cephalothorax there are pedipalps, which look like another pair of limbs. Movable tentacles help to hold the victim, grind, grind food. Chelicerae end in sharp fangs and contain venom glands. With them, the predator pierces the chitinous cover of the victim, the skin.

On the head. The most important - 1 pair, are placed in the center. Capture visual images, silhouettes, shadows at a distance of 25 cm. Lateral - auxiliary eyes, provide horizons in all directions, warn of approaching enemies, potential prey. Spinners respond well to movement, web vibrations, and trap odors. The organs of smell and touch are paws.

Lifestyle

Spiders are nocturnal, during the day they hide in a secluded place near their own web. To catch prey. They do this at night, it takes about 2 hours to form the canvas.

Outwardly, the web resembles a lace fabric. Initially, the predator stretches strong threads, forms a triangle. Many cells of different diameters depart from them. The ability to weave trapping nets is transmitted genetically. A small spider after birth is able to repeat everything that its mother does, but in a smaller size.

Interesting!

The spinner spends most of his life sitting on the web in the very center, or hanging down in anticipation of a hearty dinner. You can notice a predator during the day on a cobweb sparkling under the sun's rays in the pose of the letter "X". Weaves nets almost everywhere - on plants, grass, trees, snags, in abandoned buildings, outbuildings.

Nutrition

The main diet is insects, as well as small relatives:

• midge;
• snails;
• worms;
• butterflies;
• bees;
• beetles;
• small spiders.

The webworm learns about the presence of a victim by the vibrations of the web. Approaches the prey, bites, injects poison, saliva. Wraps in cobwebs, crawls to the side, watches what is happening for several minutes. A toxic substance causes muscle paralysis, saliva turns the insides into a liquid mass. The spider tries to eat everything at once, leaving only the chitinous shell.

Interesting!

Without food, the spider can stay for about a year. Under normal conditions, a large amount of food is fed 1 time in 7-10 days. Trapping nets are constantly updating, crawling to another place. Drops damaged web after 12 victims.

reproduction

Orb weavers gather in pairs only during the mating season. The male carefully approaches the female's web, moves with his paws, creating certain vibrations. If the lady is predisposed to acquaintance, she crawls out to the middle of the canvas, sits motionless. The hungry spider eats the gentleman even before he starts courting. The same fate awaits him if the chosen one suddenly gets hungry after fertilization.

The female forms a cocoon, lays several hundred eggs there. Attaches near own shelter. Protects carefully. After 2-3 weeks, the young generation appears. Almost immediately they spread in different directions. They hibernate under foliage, in crevices, hollows, abandoned nests.

Poisonous or not

Orb weavers do not have an aggressive disposition, preferring to hide unnoticed rather than rush to attack. They can bite in defense of their own lives. Slight redness, swelling, pain appear on the spot. Passes or takes place in some days. Orb weavers do not pose a serious danger to humans.

P Darwin's spider (Caerostris darwini) is a very interesting specimen of spiders from the orb weaving family. The Darwin spider is named after the naturalist Charles Darwin. Its main feature is the web, which is of particular interest to scientists.

How Darwin's spider was discovered

The Darwin spider was discovered on the island of Madagascar in the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. This discovery was made in 2001, but the spider was described only in 2009. Such a delay in the description of this species is due to the fact that its name is timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. In 2009 Caaerostris darwini was first described by Matjaž Kuntner and Ingi Agnarsson, but the description was published in 2010.

Where does it live Caaerostris darwini

As mentioned above Caaerostris darwini was found on the island Madagascar. This island is considered the only habitat of this species of spiders. Only 12 species of spiders of this family were found on this island. In principle, it can be found everywhere, but Darwin's spider gives the greatest preference to places with water areas. He weaves his nets mainly over the surface of the rivers, but you can run into his web and on a regular path.

Description and behavior

For spiders of the species Caaerostris darwini characterized by sexual dimorphism. Females are usually much larger than males. Females have a body length of 18 to 22 millimeters, while males have a body length of about 6 millimeters. Females are usually black in color with white hairs on the abdomen and appendages. The limbs are about 35 millimeters long, while in males the limbs are about 15 millimeters. Males are usually either red or light brown. The behavior of spiders also has an individual character, since the hunting of spiders for prey is different from its relatives. They hang a ball over a river or lake and release a web in the wind until it touches the other side. In this way, they form a kind of bridges, which are the basis of their trap.

Scientists' interest

The interest of scientists in this type of spider is that Darwin's spider, which is not large in itself, weaves just a giant and very strong web. Giant, because the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe web is from 900 to 28,000 square centimeters. The length of the web of the "cable" is about 25 meters. But the main interest is the web itself. The tensile strength of this type of web is between 350 and 520 MJ/m³, while the tensile strength of Kevlar is 36 MJ/m³. For you to understand, bulletproof vests for special units are made from Kevlar. The web of Darwin's spider is a very complex mixture of elements that scientists from all over the world are studying.