barn spider
(Araneus cavaticus)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | NNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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The female barn spider has raised humps “shoulders” near the front of the upper (dorsal) side of the abdomen. There is a large black spot on the underside of the abdomen. It is bordered on each side by a white, unbroken, comma-shaped spot. |
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Size |
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Male: ⅜″ to ¾″ Female: ½″ to ⅞″ |
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Web |
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Similar Species |
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| Hentz’s orbweaver (Neoscona crucifera) upperside of the abdomen lacks conspicuous markings. The black spot on the underside of the abdomen is bordered on each side by a “broken L”. | ||
Habitat |
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Shady areas; mostly in human structures; barns, caves, mine openings; also cliff overhangs |
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Biology |
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Season |
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Late summer through autumn |
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Behavior |
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The female barn spider builds a new web every evening. She sits motionless, head down, in the center of the web, waiting for prey to be snared. In the morning she recycles the web by eating it. She usually curls up a leaf creating a shelter in which she spends the daylight hours. The shelter is above the web and is connected to it by a strand of webbing. When the strand vibrates, she knows she has snared a prey. |
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Life Cycle |
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Food |
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Insects |
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Distribution |
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Sources 24, 29, 30, 82. |
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| 5/23/2022 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Common in New England. Not known to occur in Minnesota. |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Arachnida (arachnids) | ||
Order |
Araneae (spiders) | ||
Suborder |
Araneomorphae (typical spiders) | ||
| Infraorder | Entelegynae (entelegyne spiders) | ||
| Superfamily | Araneoidea (araneoid spiders) | ||
Family |
Araneidae (orbweavers) | ||
Subfamily |
Araneinae (typical orbweavers) | ||
Genus |
Araneus (angulate and roundshouldered orbweavers) | ||
Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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barn orbweaver barn spider |
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Visitor Photos |
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Share your photo of this arachnid. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
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Mary Webster |
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Melissa Kneebone |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Barn Spider (Araneus cavaticus) Andree Reno Sanborn |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this insect. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
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Other Videos |
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| Barn Spider Eating a moth dragonstar5 |
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About
Uploaded on Sep 23, 2007 Barn Spider (Orb Weaver, Family Araneidae, Araneus cavaticus) Catching a moth in its web and wrapping it up. |
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| Female Barn Spider spinning web Lee Dar |
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About
Published on Aug 9, 2012 A female Barn Orb-Weaving Spider (Araneus Cavaticus) spins a web at Dana's padio. 1 of 2 videos |
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| Barn Spider (A. cavaticus) TinCanValley |
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About
Published on May 19, 2012 |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this insect. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
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| ABaker 8/20/2020 |
Location: Kimball, MN Stearns County These spiders have inhabited every barn I’ve ever owned. Now it is the SE corner of my home under the eave in a very protected area. |
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| Melissa Kneebone 9/24/2015 |
Location: Elk River, MN |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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