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Furrow (Larinioides cornutus)

Furrow spider of the orb-weaver family has a Holarctic distribution, found throughout North Africa, Europe, certain parts of Asia, North America, and South America.

Furrow Spider

Scientific Classification

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Females are 0.23-0.55 inches (0.6-1.4 cm) while males measure 0.19-0.35 inches (0.48-0.88 cm).

Color: Their body color varies from black to white or even different shades of red.

Other Characteristic Features: The furrow spider appears large with an oval-shaped bulbous abdomen. An arrow-like pattern is also observed on their cephalothorax and legs. They have six eyes placed in a horizontal row, with an extra pair lying above the middle of the row.

Furrow Spider Size

Eggs

Females lay around 3-5 yellow eggs in a silken sac hidden under leaves or a cocoon.

Spiderlings

By the time spiderlings emerge, both of their parents die, so they live independently from the beginning. They attain sexual maturity between 4 and 18 months.

The Web

They build orb webs close to the ground, mostly on damp vegetation or shrublands. Each night, they consume the web and then make a new one the next evening.

Furrow Spider Web

Are Furrow Spiders Venomous

They are venomous for insects and their prey, but for humans, they are not a threat. However, these spiders could bite if provoked, the intensity of which is not more than a bee sting.

Furrow Orb Weaver Spider

Quick Facts

Other Names Furrow orb spider, foliate spider
Distribution United States, Canada, eastern and southern Alaska, Japan, Eastern China, Egypt, Kamchatka Peninsula, and northeastern Algeria
Habitat Mostly in moist areas near waterbodies, and also in bridges, barns, and houses
Diet Gnats, mosquitoes, and damselflies
Predators Black and yellow mud daubers, and birds
Web Type Orb web
IUCN Conservation Status Not listed
Male Furrow Spider

Did You Know

  • Swedish arachnologist Carl Alexander Clerck described the furrow orb-weaver first in 1757.
Picture of a Furrow Spider

Image Credits: Nature.mdc.mo.gov, Fbcdn.net, Usaspiders.com, Bugguide.net, Cirrusimage.com

Furrow spider of the orb-weaver family has a Holarctic distribution, found throughout North Africa, Europe, certain parts of Asia, North America, and South America.

Furrow Spider

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Females are 0.23-0.55 inches (0.6-1.4 cm) while males measure 0.19-0.35 inches (0.48-0.88 cm).

Color: Their body color varies from black to white or even different shades of red.

Other Characteristic Features: The furrow spider appears large with an oval-shaped bulbous abdomen. An arrow-like pattern is also observed on their cephalothorax and legs. They have six eyes placed in a horizontal row, with an extra pair lying above the middle of the row.

Furrow Spider Size

Eggs

Females lay around 3-5 yellow eggs in a silken sac hidden under leaves or a cocoon.

Spiderlings

By the time spiderlings emerge, both of their parents die, so they live independently from the beginning. They attain sexual maturity between 4 and 18 months.

The Web

They build orb webs close to the ground, mostly on damp vegetation or shrublands. Each night, they consume the web and then make a new one the next evening.

Furrow Spider Web

Are Furrow Spiders Venomous

They are venomous for insects and their prey, but for humans, they are not a threat. However, these spiders could bite if provoked, the intensity of which is not more than a bee sting.

Furrow Orb Weaver Spider

Quick Facts

Other Names Furrow orb spider, foliate spider
Distribution United States, Canada, eastern and southern Alaska, Japan, Eastern China, Egypt, Kamchatka Peninsula, and northeastern Algeria
Habitat Mostly in moist areas near waterbodies, and also in bridges, barns, and houses
Diet Gnats, mosquitoes, and damselflies
Predators Black and yellow mud daubers, and birds
Web Type Orb web
IUCN Conservation Status Not listed
Male Furrow Spider

Did You Know

  • Swedish arachnologist Carl Alexander Clerck described the furrow orb-weaver first in 1757.
Picture of a Furrow Spider

Image Credits: Nature.mdc.mo.gov, Fbcdn.net, Usaspiders.com, Bugguide.net, Cirrusimage.com

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