Arrow-shaped micrathena of the orb-weaver family thrives in the eastern parts of the United States and Central America. One of its noteworthy features is its arrow-shaped abdomen, which has earned the spider its name.
Size: The males are 0.20 (5 mm) inches long, while the females are a little larger and have a body length of 0.35 inches (9 mm).
Color: The females are brightly colored than the males who are hardly seen. In fact, the male spiders have a black body with white on the edges, whereas the females have red head and legs. They also have a bright yellow abdomen with red and black spots.
Other Characteristic Features: They have a long, triangular abdomen resembling an arrow-head. The females have sharp spines protruding from the edges of their abdomen, which also helps them to keep predators at bay. The males, on the other hand, do not have spines.
The eggs are small and round, laid on the sides of the web, near to a leaf. They remain in the sac for the winter and hatch the following spring.
After hatching from the eggs, the spiderlings initially have longer abdomens and shorter spines. As the spiders mature, they acquire an adult-like body pattern.
The male and female species spin spiral webs positioned vertically in an up-down posture. Most of the webs also have a zig-zag decorative structure called stabilimentum, a little above the middle portion. Like most other orb-weavers, they too rebuild the webs regularly.
These spiders do have venom which paralyzes as well as kill bugs. However, they do no harm to humans.
| Other Names | Arrow spider |
| Distribution | Eastern parts of the United States and all over Central America |
| Habitat | Forested areas, in shrubs or other foliages present in the backyard or garden |
| Diet | Variety of insects caught in their web’s sticky strands |
| Lifespan | Approximately 1 year |
Image Source: Images.squarespace-cdn.com, A4.pbase.com, Ninnescahlife.wichita.edu
Arrow-shaped micrathena of the orb-weaver family thrives in the eastern parts of the United States and Central America. One of its noteworthy features is its arrow-shaped abdomen, which has earned the spider its name.
Size: The males are 0.20 (5 mm) inches long, while the females are a little larger and have a body length of 0.35 inches (9 mm).
Color: The females are brightly colored than the males who are hardly seen. In fact, the male spiders have a black body with white on the edges, whereas the females have red head and legs. They also have a bright yellow abdomen with red and black spots.
Other Characteristic Features: They have a long, triangular abdomen resembling an arrow-head. The females have sharp spines protruding from the edges of their abdomen, which also helps them to keep predators at bay. The males, on the other hand, do not have spines.
The eggs are small and round, laid on the sides of the web, near to a leaf. They remain in the sac for the winter and hatch the following spring.
After hatching from the eggs, the spiderlings initially have longer abdomens and shorter spines. As the spiders mature, they acquire an adult-like body pattern.
The male and female species spin spiral webs positioned vertically in an up-down posture. Most of the webs also have a zig-zag decorative structure called stabilimentum, a little above the middle portion. Like most other orb-weavers, they too rebuild the webs regularly.
These spiders do have venom which paralyzes as well as kill bugs. However, they do no harm to humans.
| Other Names | Arrow spider |
| Distribution | Eastern parts of the United States and all over Central America |
| Habitat | Forested areas, in shrubs or other foliages present in the backyard or garden |
| Diet | Variety of insects caught in their web’s sticky strands |
| Lifespan | Approximately 1 year |
Image Source: Images.squarespace-cdn.com, A4.pbase.com, Ninnescahlife.wichita.edu
Mumpi Ghosh on June 2, 2020.
Dr. Watuwa James
© 2023 (Spider Identifications). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
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