Yesterday it was very cool and foggy in Wooster and I took some pictures of spider webs in the shrubs outside the Entomology building at OARDC. These belong to sheet web spiders (Linyphiidae). This is a large family (over 4,000 known species) of very small spiders (most are between 4-10 mm). The close-up shots show webs spun by a "bowl and doily spider" in the genus Frontinella. The web consists of a dense bowl-shaped web with a flat sheet web (the doily) underneath. The spider hangs on the underside of the bowl and eats small flies, aphids, and other insects that become trapped in the non-sticky silk that makes up the web.
I like your photos Mary. A very large spider was coming across the store and I got your Dad to get it out of here. I should have taken a picture but I am still afraid of spiders. It was very large. HELP.
ReplyDeleteVery cool--amazing number of webs too! Not sure why, but spiders are fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Andy