Darwin’s bark spider of the orb-weaver family is known for producing the largest orb webs, spanning between 900 – 28000 sq. cm. This unique spider species attains its name after Charles Darwin, the famous English naturalist.
Size: Female spiders are 0.7 – 0.9 inches (1.7 – 2.2 cm) and the comparatively smaller male spiders are round 0.2 inches (0.5 cm).
Color: Females have a black body, while their cephalothorax, appendages, and abdomen remain covered with white hairs.
Male spiders appear light brown or reddish, though the arrangement of white hairs on certain parts of their body is closely similar to their female counterparts.
Other Characteristic Features: Female spiders have two pairs of humps on the upper portion of their cephalothorax. One pair lies to the side and the other behind. Male spiders exhibit their palpal bulb or genital organ with a straight-tipped conductor. The embolus is long enough, having a spoon-shaped pattern towards the end.
These spiders lay their eggs into a sac produced by them beforehand.
There are no concrete records about the description and identification of the spiderlings. However, it may be assumed that, like most other species’ spiderlings, they too disperse from their mother after maturation.
Their strong, tough web is approximately 3 ft wide, also being 10 times being more durable than a similar-sized Kevlar. They build webs over a water body, and the orb remains suspended above. In this way, they can catch prey that flies near the surrounding terrain. A single web might contain about 32 mayflies in one go.
Darwin’s bark spiders have low venom levels and their bites though rare would do no harm.
| Distribution | Madagascar |
| Habitat | Near waterbodies |
| Web Type | Orb web |
| Diet | Mayflies and other aquatic insects |
| IUCN Conservation Status | Not Listed |
Image Credits: I.ytimg.com, 4.bp.blogspot.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com, Asknature.org
Darwin’s bark spider of the orb-weaver family is known for producing the largest orb webs, spanning between 900 – 28000 sq. cm. This unique spider species attains its name after Charles Darwin, the famous English naturalist.
Size: Female spiders are 0.7 – 0.9 inches (1.7 – 2.2 cm) and the comparatively smaller male spiders are round 0.2 inches (0.5 cm).
Color: Females have a black body, while their cephalothorax, appendages, and abdomen remain covered with white hairs.
Male spiders appear light brown or reddish, though the arrangement of white hairs on certain parts of their body is closely similar to their female counterparts.
Other Characteristic Features: Female spiders have two pairs of humps on the upper portion of their cephalothorax. One pair lies to the side and the other behind. Male spiders exhibit their palpal bulb or genital organ with a straight-tipped conductor. The embolus is long enough, having a spoon-shaped pattern towards the end.
These spiders lay their eggs into a sac produced by them beforehand.
There are no concrete records about the description and identification of the spiderlings. However, it may be assumed that, like most other species’ spiderlings, they too disperse from their mother after maturation.
Their strong, tough web is approximately 3 ft wide, also being 10 times being more durable than a similar-sized Kevlar. They build webs over a water body, and the orb remains suspended above. In this way, they can catch prey that flies near the surrounding terrain. A single web might contain about 32 mayflies in one go.
Darwin’s bark spiders have low venom levels and their bites though rare would do no harm.
| Distribution | Madagascar |
| Habitat | Near waterbodies |
| Web Type | Orb web |
| Diet | Mayflies and other aquatic insects |
| IUCN Conservation Status | Not Listed |
Image Credits: I.ytimg.com, 4.bp.blogspot.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com, Asknature.org
