Crosses are poisonous or not. Common cross (spider): description, habitat. Places of distribution and nutrition

The cross-spider is a representative of the most common species, which is found in almost all regions except for the northern and southern latitudes. Prefer places with high humidity and is most often found in gardens, in fields, among shrubs growing near water bodies, as well as in groves and in forest areas. It can also live on the eaves of buildings and on the facades of buildings.

Characteristic

The spider-cross, or crusader, got its name from, which, as you can see in the photo, is formed from white spots. The abdomen of an arthropod is colored in Brown color, has a teardrop shape. The cross has 8 legs, on which supersensitive organs of smell are located. There are 8 eyes on the head, they are directed in different directions, which makes the view as wide as possible.

It is interesting! Cross spiders have very poor eyesight - they see only blurry outlines of objects. To know and interact with outside world they are assisted by the sense organs on their paws!

The male cross spider looks the same as the female. The only difference is the sizes. So, females are somewhat larger than males and their sizes can be from 16 to 25 mm, the body size of a male is about 10-11 mm. Throughout their lives, these arthropods molt several times, and this happens at regular intervals.

Food

Crosses are hunters who are most active at twilight and at night. During the day, they prefer to sit in secluded places. Their diet contains:

• flies;
• butterflies;
• mosquitoes;
• vile, etc.

During the hunt, the crusader spider is located in the center of its web and freezes. From the outside, it looks like he's dead. But as soon as the victim gets into the net, the hunter reacts with lightning speed. He quickly runs up to the entangled insect, pierces his body with his sharp claws, which are located on the front pair of legs, and injects paralytic poison. After a while, the caught victim freezes. At the same time, in different situations spiders either immediately eat their prey, or leave it in reserve.

On a note! The fact that someone is in the web, the spider learns with the help of its paws - the victim moves, trying to get out, and creates a vibration that the cross feels!

The spider-cross eats quite a lot - the total amount of food absorbed per day is approximately equal to its body weight. And at one time he is able to eat about a dozen insects. For this reason, he spends almost all his time hunting, constantly being in the web and waiting for the next victim. A small part of the day is allotted for rest, but even during this period, the signal thread is necessarily tied to one of the hunter's legs.

On a note! Not all insects are included in the diet of the spider-cross. If the victim gets into the web with bad smell, someone poisonous or too big, then the hunter prefers to let go of the unwanted guest in this case. He bites through the restraining threads and lets go!

reproduction

Young males during the spring and summer are mainly engaged in weaving webs and hunting, trying to provide themselves with normal food. Closer to the mating season, they leave their shelters and move from place to place in search of a female. At this time, they eat extremely poorly, which explains the significant difference in mass between them and spiders.

After the male finds the female's web, he makes several attempts to inform her of his appearance - he carefully steps on the edge, causing vibrations. The female immediately takes off and tries to catch up with the male, thinking that this is another victim. And the male, in turn, flees along his thread, which he prudently lowers down in advance. This continues until the spider understands who exactly came to visit her.

Immediately after mating, the spider tries to hide faster. However, it is possible for units - the most agile. Most die from the poison of the female. This period falls approximately at the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.

The fertilized female lays eggs. Eggs, of which there can be about 300-800 pieces, she places in a cocoon tightly woven from cobwebs and wears it for some time. Then the spider finds a suitable hiding place, where she leaves the clutch. Often, such a place becomes the bark of a tree lagging behind the trunk, cracks in the wood, fallen leaves, etc. The eggs are stored there until spring. At the same time, in the cocoon, the future offspring is in absolute safety - it is warm in it and it does not get wet.

With the onset of heat, small spiders appear from the eggs.

After the birth, young crosses need enough food, but not always the territory where they first saw the world is able to feed them. Therefore, it is important for spiders to leave this densely populated area as soon as possible, otherwise many of them risk being eaten by their own brethren or simply die of hunger. However, these arthropods are not capable of moving independently over a long distance, since their legs are very poorly developed. Often they are carried by a fair wind - the spider waits for windy weather, clings to its web and thus flies from place to place.

It is interesting! The web helps the cross spider to overcome very impressive distances - sometimes about 400 km!

Given the above, it is easy to calculate how long the cross spider lives. In the spring, the young come out of the eggs, and in the fall they already mate. Males in most cases die immediately after they fertilize the female, and spiders a little later - they spend several weeks near the hidden cocoon and, having fulfilled their parental duty, die before winter comes. It turns out that not so much is allotted to the cross by nature - only 6-8 months.

Toxicity

Is the cross spider dangerous for humans? Its poison is toxic to us, and after about five minutes after the bite, the following unpleasant symptoms can be felt:

• severe headache;
• slight increase in body temperature;
• slight weakness;
• discomfort in the joints;
• itching and tingling at the site of the bite;
• subcutaneous hemorrhages are possible.

On a note! Often, after a bite, only a local reaction occurs, which manifests itself in the form of a reddened and somewhat hardened edema. But sometimes the consequences can be more serious. In this case, it depends on the immune abilities of the human body!

The bite of a cross spider is not fatal, however, despite this, it is advisable to avoid contact with it. If he did bite you, then, first of all, the affected area should be thoroughly washed with soap, which will help prevent additional infection. Next, something very cold should be applied to the bite site, ice if possible, and treated with an anti-inflammatory ointment.

Important! If a cross spider has bitten a child, then calling an ambulance is mandatory!

In order to avoid contact with the cross spider while relaxing in nature, it is imperative to close the tent at night, and if it has windows, then mosquito nets must be placed on them. In the evening, be sure to inspect your bed, and it is advisable to take out all the blankets and blankets and shake them well. When walking through the forest, always bypass the woven cobwebs, and if you notice a cross very close, then in no case take it in your hands.

Similar rules apply to staying at a tourist base and even in the country. Upon arrival, all rooms should be inspected for the presence of a symmetrical web, and if one is found, then it must be carefully removed immediately with some long object. In this case, it is advisable to protect your hands with gloves.

The cross spider (Araneus) is an arthropod belonging to the genus of araneomorphic spiders and the family of orb-weavers (Araneidae). To date, there are more than one thousand species of crosses in the world, which live almost everywhere.

Description of the cross

The external structure of the cross is represented by the abdomen and spider warts, the cephalothorax and walking legs, consisting of the thigh, knee joint, lower leg, pretarsus, paw and claw, as well as the chelicera and pedipalp, acetabular ring and coxa.

Appearance

Crosses are spiders quite small in size, however, the female of this arthropod is much larger than the male. The body length of the female is 1.7-4.0 cm, and the size of an adult male cross, as a rule, does not exceed 1.0-1.1 cm. time for another molt. Along with most arachnid species, spiders have ten limbs, represented by:

• four couples walking legs, with relatively sharp claws located at the ends;
• one pair of pedipalps, which perform a recognizing function and are necessary to hold the caught prey;
• one pair of chelicerae used in the capture and killing of the caught victim. The chelicerae of the crosses are directed downwards, and the hooks of the chelicerae are directed inward.

Adult males on the last segment of the pedipalps have a copulatory organ, which is filled immediately before mating with seminal fluid, which enters the seminal receptacle located on the female, due to which offspring appears.

It is interesting! The visual abilities of the cross are very poorly developed, so the arthropod sees poorly and is able to distinguish only blurry silhouettes, as well as the presence of light and shadows.

Cross spiders have four pairs of eyes, but are almost completely blind. An excellent compensation for such a visual deficiency is a well-developed sense of touch, for which special tactile hairs located on the entire surface of the body are responsible. Some hairs on the body of an arthropod are able to respond to the presence of stimuli. chemical type, air vibrations are perceived by other hairs, and all kinds of ambient sounds are captured by the third.

The abdomen of cross-spiders is rounded and completely devoid of segments. In the upper part there is a drawing in the form of a cross, and on the lower part there are three pairs of special spider warts, which contain almost a thousand glands that produce spider webs. Such strong threads have various purposes: building reliable trapping nets, arranging protective shelters or weaving a cocoon for posterity.

The respiratory system is located in the abdomen and is represented by two lung sacs, in which there is a significant number of leaf-shaped folds with air. Inside the folds, liquid hemolymph circulates, enriched with oxygen. Also included in respiratory system includes tracheal tubes. In the dorsal region of the abdomen is the heart, which, with its appearance resembles a rather long tube with outgoing, relatively large blood vessels.

Types of crosses

Despite the fact that there are a lot of varieties of cross-spiders, only thirty species are found on the territory of our country and in neighboring states, which are characterized by the presence of a pronounced “cross” located on the upper part of the abdomen. Common species include the four-spotted or meadow cross spider (Araneus quadratus), which settles in wet and open, grassy areas.

It is interesting! Of particular interest is the rather rare spider Araneus sturmi, which lives mainly in conifers on the territory of the Palearctic region, whose modest size is compensated by a rich variety of colors.

The common cross (Araneus diadematus), whose body is covered with a waxy substance that retains moisture, as well as a rare species listed in the Red Book called the angular cross (Araneus angulatus), which is characterized by a fetal absence of a cruciform pattern and a pair of small the size of the humps in the abdomen.

How long does a cross live

Cross-spiders of different species, in comparison with many of their counterparts, live quite a short time. Males die immediately after mating, and females die immediately after weaving a cocoon for offspring.

Thus, the life expectancy of male crosses does not exceed three months, and females of this species can live for about six months.

Spider venom

The venom of the cross is toxic to vertebrates and invertebrates, as it contains thermolabile hemolysin. This substance can adversely affect the red blood cells of animals such as rabbit, rat and mouse, as well as human blood cells. As practice shows, sufficiently high resistance to the toxin is possessed by cavy, horse, sheep and dog.

Among other things, the toxin has an irreversible effect on the synaptic apparatus of any invertebrate animal. For human life and health, crosses are in most cases absolutely harmless, but if there is a history of allergies, the toxin can cause a strong burning sensation or local tissue necrosis. Small cross-spiders are capable of biting through human skin, but total injected poison, is most often harmless, so its presence under the skin is accompanied by mild or quickly passing pain symptoms.

Important! According to some reports, the bites of the largest crosses of some species are no less painful than the sensations after a scorpion sting.

Cross web

As a rule, crosses settle in the crown of a tree, between branches, where large trapping nets are arranged by a spider. The foliage of the plant is used to make shelter. Quite often, a spider web is found in shrubbery and among window frames in abandoned buildings.

The spider-cross destroys its web every other day and starts making a new one, as the trapping nets become unusable because not only small, but also too large insects get into them. As a rule, a new web is woven at night, which allows the spider to catch prey for itself in the morning. The webs built by an adult female cross spider are distinguished by the presence of a certain number of spirals and radii woven from sticky threads. The distance between adjacent coils is also precise and constant.

It is interesting! Due to their very high strength and high elasticity, crosses have long been widely used in the manufacture of fabrics and various decorations, and among the inhabitants of the tropics they still serve as a material for weaving nets and fishing nets.

The building instinct of the spider-cross is brought to automatism and programmed in nervous system at the genetic level, so even young individuals are able to very easily build high-quality cobwebs and quickly catch the prey necessary for food. The spiders themselves use exclusively radial, dry threads for movement, so the cross is not able to stick to trapping nets.

Range and habitats

The most common representative is the common cross (Araneus diadematus), found throughout the European part and in some North American states, where spiders of this species inhabit coniferous forests, swampy and shrub plantings. Angular cross (Araneus angulatus) - disappearing and very rare view living in our country, as well as on the territory of the Palearctic region. The Australian cross spider Araneus albotriangulus also inhabits the territory of New South Wales and Queensland.

On the territory of our country, oak cross-spiders (Araneus seroregius or Aculeira seroregia) are most often found, which settle in tall grass on forest edges, in groves and gardens, as well as in fairly dense shrub thickets.

The Araneus savaticus cross, or ram spider, uses grottoes and rocky cliffs, as well as entrances to mines and barns, to equip the trapping network. Quite often, this species settles in close proximity to human dwellings. The cat-faced cross spider (Araneus gemmoides) lives in the western part of America and Canada, and the natural range of a typical representative Asian fauna the spider-cross Araneus mitificus or "spider Pringles" became India, Nepal, the territory of Bhutan and part of Australia.

Food, mining of the cross

Spiders, along with most other spiders, have an external type of digestion.. In anticipation of their prey, spiders are usually located near the network, located in a hidden nest, which is made of a strong web. A special signal thread is stretched from the central part of the web to the spider nest.

The main diet of the cross is represented by a variety of flies, mosquitoes and other small insects, which an adult spider can eat about a dozen at a time. After a fly, a small butterfly or any other small insect enters the net and begins to beat inside it, a noticeable oscillation of the signal thread immediately occurs, and the spider leaves its hiding place.

It is interesting! If a poisonous or very large insect, the cross-spider quickly breaks the web to get rid of it. Also, crosses strenuously avoid contact with insects that can lay eggs in other arthropods.

The arthropod is unable to digest the caught prey on its own, therefore, as soon as the victim gets into the network, the spider-cross quickly injects its very aggressive, caustic digestive juice into it, after which it wraps the prey in a cocoon from the web and waits for some time, during which the food is digested and turns into a so-called nutrient solution.

The process of digestion of food in a cocoon usually takes no more than one hour, and then the nutrient fluid is absorbed, and only a chitinous cover remains inside the cocoon.

Spider-cross - is prominent representative family of orb-web spiders. They live almost everywhere, except perhaps in the northern part of the planet and the hot south. The cross-spider is the most common species of its family, in which scientists have about a thousand representatives.

The crosses live in wild nature and in residential areas. Hiding in dark places, crevices.

The lifestyle of the cross is nocturnal. During the day, he sits in his shelter, not far from his web. They are waiting for prey to fall into the web. And as soon as the insect gets into the web, the vibration of this web begins, the spider immediately becomes more active and rushes to the victim.

You can recognize a spider-cross by its color.

On top of its abdomen, a light cross is clearly visible, thanks to which the spider got its name.

The round belly of the spider itself has a dark brown tint, which is the color of the spider and its cephalothorax with 8 eyes and the same number of legs. The location of the eyes (in a circle) allows him to observe what is happening around him. And his paws are different the highest level sensitivity.

Female crosses have a large body size - up to 3 cm, while the male is much smaller than them - up to 1 cm.

The main diet of cross-spiders is small insects- aphids, midges, flies, mosquitoes. The cross kills its prey, which has fallen into the web with the help of teeth with poison. When the spider is hungry, the prey is immediately eaten by it. If the hunter is full, he wraps the fallen insect with cobwebs and hides it in a secluded place, only for him famous place for the future.

The reproduction of cross-spiders occurs in this way: the male attaches to the side of the female's web and gives her signals to notice him. Immediately after short mating games the male usually dies.

And the female begins weaving a cocoon, in which, after maturation, she will lay eggs. At first, the female carries a cocoon with masonry on her abdomen, she is looking for a secluded place where she can put it so that nothing and no one will prevent her cubs from hatching.

Symptoms of cross bites

For large animals and for humans, the poison of the spider-cross is not particularly dangerous, because it is too small to inflict big organism significant harm.

Maxim, when it is possible to kill with this dose - a mouse or a rat.

And yet, the bite of a spider of this species is not completely harmless. If you accidentally get into the web of this arthropod creature, a person can still suffer from his bites. After all, the spider takes as a victim everyone who leads to the vibration of his "trapping web". And in self-defense, of course, the spider will bite anyone.

It can also bite a cross in the case when a person tries to pick it up.

The clinical picture of spider bites will be as follows:

• The bite site turns white and becomes similar to a bee sting;
• The spot grows the size of a nickel, turns red at the edges;
• Swelling at the puncture site;
• Burning sensation at the site of the bite.

And if a person suffers from allergic reactions, then it may well be that the bite of this insect will cause the following symptoms:

• General weakness of the body;
• Rashes on the skin in the form of red spots;
• Headache;
• Painful syndrome in the extremities;
• Rise in body temperature;
• Hardening at the site of the bite.

As a rule, greater sensitivity to the bites of the crosses is noted in childhood and allergy sufferers.

Therefore, these groups of people can experience not only the symptoms described above, but also develop more serious complications in the form of suffocation, intense edema, up to disruption of the cardiovascular system.

It is very important in the development of such clinical picture immediately call a qualified medical team for help and hospitalize the victim for adequate therapy and constant medical supervision.

First Aid

Despite the lack of medical practice deaths from the bites of a spider-cross, nevertheless, the victim needs help in these cases.

Therefore, when bites from these individuals of the arthropod family are detected, the following measures must be taken:

• Washing the bite site must be carried out warm water with soap. Thus, mud microparticles are washed off from skin, which excludes the entry of infectious microscopic agents into the wound.
• The affected areas are covered with cold compresses (you can use ice cubes or a bottle of cold water). Such a compress will help relieve the painful syndrome and prevent possible swelling.
• In the event of a migraine (headache), a rise in body temperature, the victim can be given a drink.
• In the event of an allergic reaction, it is imperative to use oral antihistamines. It is also necessary to provide the victim with plenty of fluids until the arrival of the doctor.
• Make sure that the victim does not comb the wound at the site of the bite. Otherwise, it will cause infection to enter it with the subsequent development of various complications.

In cases of a child under the age of 6 being bitten by a cross, you should immediately go to your doctor or call an ambulance team, because for child's body The poison of this species of spider is very toxic and dangerous.

Prevention

It is quite possible, adhering to certain rules of behavior in direct contact with wildlife, to prevent the bites of a spider-cross.

1. In the case of a planned overnight stay in nature, during a hiking trip, it is important to take with you and use there special means protection against insects (drugs-repellents of external action).
2. Be sure to carefully close the entrance to the tent.
3. Before going to bed, carefully check all bedding and sleeping clothes so that they do not have any insects.
4. The same (see paragraph 3) should be done immediately after waking up and when collecting things home.
5. When choosing clothes for a hike, you should take things that cover as much as possible all parts of the body.
6. Seeing a web on the way, it would be better to bypass it, trying not to touch it with either hands or clothes.
7. During the hike, try to avoid abandoned buildings, sheds, barns and other dark places where different types spiders in large numbers.
8. Be sure to teach the child all these rules of behavior in nature in advance, and explain to him the danger of direct contact with a detachment of arthropods.

It is interesting

A spider-cross, when hungry, is able to eat as much food as it weighs itself.

If his web gets too large insect or poisonous - the spider breaks its web so that inedible prey simply falls down.

One trapping web of a spider-cross consists of 20 m of "thread".

In ancient times, the cross web was considered a good antibacterial agent. Therefore, when a bite is found on the body of a given spider, its own webs can be attached to it in order to avoid the spread of the toxin throughout the body.

Possible consequences

• The spider venom is epeirotoxin. It is completely absorbed and excreted from the human body within a day. At the site of the bite, there may still be some time easy puffiness.
• When combing the bite of the cross, it is possible to introduce an infection through the wound and the development of a purulent process.
• It is impossible to cauterize or heat the site of the bite of the cross, this can cause a backlash in the form of necrosis of the soft tissues around the wound.

The crusader spider is distinguished from its fellows by its impressive size. The length of the females is more than 2 cm, while the male is half as long. Larger size females is necessary to kill the male after mating, and also allows you to safely carry a large cocoon with small spiders on yourself.

How many legs does a cross spider have? Like all arachnids, the insect has four pairs of legs, which are especially sensitive due to the three claws located at the very tips. With them, he clings to the victim.

On the back, the spider is decorated with a cross of small circles of light or light brown color, located on the upper part of the abdomen, which is why it got its name. A black spider with a white cross on its back lives in shady places - forests, groves, and various thickets. If there is enough sun and light, then the insect is lighter, and its chitinous coating burns out from bright rays. In the lower part of the abdomen, there are arachnoid glands that are capable of producing different cobwebs. For hunting - thin and sticky, and for the maturation of small spiders and cocoons - soft and silky.

The body is covered with hairs that function as a tactile organ. The color of the abdomen of the cross spider also depends on the habitat. Ordinary representative arachnids of the araneomorphic genus have two pairs of dark-colored eyes.

Their vision is poor - blurry objects and outlines. Spider crusaders react to movements around them.

Cross spiders weave a web quite often - one every 2-3 days, as other insects, animals and weather destroy her. Prefers insects, but mainly feeds on flies, aphids, mosquitoes, grasshoppers and others. Active at night. It rests during the day, but keeps a signal thread under its foot. From trapping nets throws out victims that are too large or unfit for a meal. They are distinguished by special voracity - in a day the cross eats insects weighing from itself.

Symptoms of cross bites

He never attacks a person. Bites occur due to the intervention of the latter in the life of an insect.
The bite of a cross spider is accompanied by the following symptoms:

1. Itching. The bite site itches unbearably due to the neurotoxins and hemotoxins contained in the venom of the cross.
2. Hyperemia of the skin.
3. Slight swelling, as with.
4. Pain is more common in children or people with hypersensitivity.

The cross spider is poisonous only for small mammals - mice, rabbits, small dogs and young animals. For an adult healthy person the bite of a spider-cross is not a threat. It is necessary to regularly inspect pets in order to start or a spider on time.

But if a person is prone to different allergic reactions or a child is injured, then the insect bite will cause mild symptoms:

• weakness;
• chills;
• headache;
• increase in body temperature;
• swelling and hardness at the site of swelling.

Hemotoxin, which is part of the poison, causes the development of hematoma and subcutaneous hemorrhage.

First aid for a bite

First aid for a bite of a spider-cross consists of simple steps:

1. Wash the bite site with cool water and soap.
2. Treat with an antiseptic solution and alcohol.
3. Apply ice to reduce itching and swelling.
4. Take an antihistamine to prevent allergic symptoms from developing.
5. For headaches, an antispasmodic is taken (nosh-pa, drotaverine, etc.).
6. It is advisable to use anti-inflammatory or antihistamine ointments and creams: bepanten, fenistil, soventol, baneocin and others.

The cross spider contains venom that is rich in eperotoxin, neurotoxin, and hemotoxin. All these substances are excreted from the body within one to two days. If the bitten person does not feel better after this time, contact medical care, as in .

Prevention

When relaxing in nature, avoid beautiful wheel-shaped cobwebs and do not pick up. When sleeping in a tent, you need to close it carefully. If you find a web in the country or at home, you should carefully remove it with a long stick, and throw the spider out into the street with a newspaper or a can. Do not touch it with your hands. You should not kill an insect - this is an amazing specimen that benefits humanity.

Basically, the cross-spider can be seen next to water bodies, in wet grass and in any other place with high humidity: it loves dampness very much. This arachnid belongs to the family of roundworms, but unlike its relatives, it leads the image of a hermit and does not tolerate other arthropods.

characteristic this species first of all, the coloring corresponding to the name

Description and characteristics

Perhaps, the cross was met by everyone. For the characteristic pattern on the back in the form of a cross, the spider got its name. Crusader spider can have different colors, it will depend on the place in which he lives. If it is a sunny location, the creature will burn out and become a pale brown. If the spider lives in a dark forest, then it has a bright orange color. It is this feature that often helps him hide from possible pests such as birds and flies. The latter, for example, lay their eggs in the body of an arthropod.

In this video you will learn more about cross spiders

The size of these arachnids depends on gender. The length of an adult female is approximately 20-25 mm, but the male does not even reach 10 mm. During molting, when a chitinous cover appears in an arthropod, an increased growth of the body begins.

The size of this species is very small, it is rare to find an individual longer than three centimeters.

Besides, external structure spider-cross includes 8 walking legs, at the end of which there are sharp claws (3 pieces on each paw). On a small head there are 4 black eyes, they help the arthropod to hunt successfully even at night. The eyes only respond to movement.

The torso of the crusader is completely covered with small hairs. This coating replaces the sense of touch: the villi are able to feel any fluctuation in the air, even the most insignificant and weak.

Most often, the common spider is activated at night. During this period, they weave their web, hunt for prey. But in the daytime you will meet them extremely rarely, usually at this time they hide in the grass or foliage of trees.

Life cycle and reproduction

This species of arthropods is divided into two sexes., that is, there is a female and a male. In mid-August, the couple begins mating season. How long a spider-cross lives depends entirely on its "half". The fact is that usually after mating, the spider eats her partner. But there are cases when the male is saved, however, this happens extremely rarely.

After fertilization, the uterus begins to weave a web, in which it lays eggs. She either carries a woven cocoon with her, or hides it somewhere in the vegetation and carefully monitors it, not letting anyone near it.

The females of the cross are very kind to the offspring, strenuously protecting it on early stages growth

Eggs are laid in autumn, and in the first months of spring, spiderlings hatch from them. Small arthropods grow very quickly and reach sexual maturity by summer. At this time, the spider also dies.

The male individual weaves a web in advance, along which he can escape. Moreover, he can walk to the female along this web several times until fertilization occurs.

On average, a queen can lay up to 800 eggs. They tolerate well winter period and in the spring, as soon as warming comes, they begin to hatch. When the weather stabilizes, they leave their cocoon and begin to lead a hermit life until puberty.

Composition and nutritional norms

Crusaders, like other varieties of spiders, have external type digestion. The spider feeds only on small insects, since large individuals are very dangerous for him.

Them food is quite varied and may consist of the following:

• various midges:
• flies;
• grasshoppers;
• bees;
• mosquitoes.

The main food of the cross is small insects.

To catch the prey, the spider uses its trapping noose. If a large insect gets into the web, it breaks the threads and releases the victim. small midge he eats it right away or hides it in reserve, but first wraps it in a cocoon so that others do not feast on it.

The process of hunting a spider-cross is quite interesting. Weaving his web, he hides in the grass or in the leaves and waits for the victim to fall into the loop. The prey in the loop begins to beat, the threads of the web vibrate, and the spider receives a kind of signal.

Having pierced the victim, they inject their digestive juice into it and wait until the prey dissolves, after which they can only suck out the contents.

Many people have heard stories about the poisonous properties of the crusader since childhood, but in reality this is not so. The poison of the cross is absolutely safe for humans, it only works on some insects. In extreme cases, it can cause unpleasant itching or burning.

Beneficial features

Few know that arthropods are beneficial environment. For example, a spider eats a large number of harmful insects - carriers of infectious diseases.

There are other benefits of spiders:

There are more than 2000 varieties of crosses, only 30 subspecies can be found in the vastness of Russia. They differ only in appearance, and their life features are almost identical.