longjawed orbweavers

(Tetragnatha spp.)

Overview
longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)
Photo by Alfredo Colon
 

Tetragnatha is a widespread and very common genus of longjawed orbweavers. It occurs on every continent except Antarctica. There are currently 320 recognized species worldwide but as few as 17 species in North America north of Mexico. Eleven species have been recorded in Minnesota. Larger species are found near water in marshes and shrubby wet areas, on the banks of rivers and streams, and on the shores of lakes and ponds. Smaller species are found in fields and meadows.

 
 

Tetragnatha spiders construct a flat, circular web on a single plane which may be tilted or almost horizontal. This orb-like web is the feature that gives the family Tetragnathidae the second part of its common name. They conceal themselves by stretching out along a twig or blade of grass, virtually disappearing, and holding on by just their third pair of legs.

 
             
 
Description
 
 

Tetragnatha is a small to medium-sized spider. Females are 3 16 to (5 to 15 mm) in length not including their legs. They have a 1 to 2 (25 to 50 mm) legspan. Males are much smaller, to 5 16 (4 to 8 mm) in length. The body is long and narrow, 2.5 to 5 times longer than wide, sometimes wider near the base. The front part of the body (carapace) may be yellow, tan, or reddish-brown. The abdomen varies from pale tan to dark brown, often with dark markings above. The legs are long and slender. The first, second, and fourth pairs of legs are very long, much longer than the body. The jaws (chelicerae) are very long, as long as the carapace in some species. This is the feature that gives the family the first part of its common name.

The cylindrical body, very long legs, and very large chelicerae make it easy to identify this genus. Determining the species is much harder, and even experts often limit their identification to the genus level.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  6/22/2022      
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Arachnida (arachnids)  
 

Order

Araneae (spiders)  
 

Suborder

Araneomorphae (typical spiders)  
  Infraorder Entelegynae (entelegyne spiders)  
 

Superfamily

Araneoidea (araneoid spiders)  
 

Family

Tetragnathidae (long-jawed orb weavers)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

common stretch spider (Tetragnatha extensa)

contrasted long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha straminea)

crouching long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha demissa)

dearmata long-jawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha dearmata)

elongate long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha elongata)

green big-jawed spider (Tetragnatha squamata)

green long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha viridis)

Guatemala long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha guatemalensis)

pale long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha pallescens)

red-bellied long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha rubriventris)

shining long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha nitens)

silver long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha laboriosa)

tailed long-jawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha caudata)

versicolor long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha versicolor)

wormy long-jawed spider (Tetragnatha vermiformis)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

long-jawed orbweavers

longjawed orbweavers

stretch spiders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Carapace

The hard, upper (dorsal), shell-like covering (exoskeleton) of the body or at least the thorax of many arthropods and of turtles and tortoises. On crustaceans, it covers the cephalothorax. On spiders, the top of the cephalothorax made from a series of fused sclerites.

 

Chelicerae

The pair of stout mouthparts, corresponding to jaws, in arachnids and other arthropods in the subphylum Chelicerata.

 

 
 
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Mike Poeppe

 
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)   longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
 

Scott

 
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)      
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)   longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
           
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)   longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
           
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)   longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
           
 

Long-jawed Orb Weaver.....Tetragnathidae

 
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)   longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
           
    longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)   longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           
           

 

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Slideshows
 
Tetragnatha
Lloyd Davies
  Tetragnatha  
 
About

Tetragnatha

 
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Tetragnatha Sp Long Jawed Orb Weaver Feeding
The Spiderman
 
   
 
About

Published on May 26, 2018

Long-jawed Orb-weaver Spiders, sometimes called Common Stretch Spiders spin an orb web to catch their prey. They're usually found in vegetation close to ground level and frequently close to water. The elongated body can vary in colour from creamy-yellow to green or pale brown. The legs are a yellow-brown colour.

 
  Eight-Eyed Expedition | How to Spot and Collect Tetragnatha Spiders
Berkeley Evolab
 
   
 
About

Aug 20, 2020

Visit our website for more information and to get involved!

https://nature.berkeley.edu/eight-eyed-expedition/

This video is part of the Eight-Eyed Expedition project, a community science effort for collecting Tetragnatha spiders for the California Conservation Genomics Project.

 
  LONG-JAWED SPIDER mashing midge. Tetragnatha
Rob Curtis
 
   
 
About

Oct 16, 2017

Tetragnatha LONG-JAWED SPIDER mashing midge. Disturbingly gory with the red blood color.

Carlyle Lake, IL. 9/14/2017

 
  Long-Jawed Orb Weaver AWESOME Trick!
IloveSPIDERZ
 
   
 
About

Aug 18, 2020

These Tetragnatha versicolor spiders can actually walk on water easier than it can walk on land. In this video, I'm showing you how they walk/swim on water. It's no wonder these are always found building horizontal webs right over water. This was recorded at 6 Mile Waterworks/ Rensselear Lake in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Thanks for watching!

 
       

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this arachnid.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
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  Mike Poeppe
6/20/2022

Location: just west of Houston, MN

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Colleen Clements
6/21/2022

: Location: St. Paul, MN

 
  Scott
4/2/2022

: Location: Lake County 47.97113° N, 91.38748° W

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
8/10/2021

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
8/7/2021

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
8/6/2021

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
8/4/2021

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
9/3 to 9/5/2019

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
Summer 2019

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
  Alfredo Colon
8/12/2018

: Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

longjawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha sp.)  
           
 
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Created 4/28/2019

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