(Araneus pratensis)
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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Openfield orbweaver is a small sedentary spider. It occurs in the United States from Maine to North Carolina, west to South Dakota and eastern Texas, in Florida, and in southern Canada in Ontario and Manitoba. It is found from May to September in fields, meadows, and forage crops, including alfalfa. Females are ⅛″ to 3⁄16″ (3.98 to 4.90 mm) in length and have a ¼″ to ⅜″ (7 to 10 mm) legspan. The front part of the body (cephalothorax) is low, narrowed in front, and much smaller than the abdomen. The upper side (carapace) is yellowish-brown with a squarish yellow blotch in the middle. There are no hairs (setae). The underside is dark brown. There are eight eyes arranged in two parallel rows of four eyes each. The rear row is curved forward, the front row is straight or slightly curved backward. All of the eyes are small, but the middle (median) eyes are larger than the outer (lateral) eyes. The area around the middle eyes (median ocular area) is black and the area around the lateral eyes is black. The abdomen is large and elliptical. It is highest in front, and it slightly hangs over the spinnerets in back. The upper side is smooth, shiny, whitish, and hairless. There is a brown, sometimes indistinct, longitudinal line or thin stripe in the middle and a broad, distinct, brown stripe on each side of the middle. The lateral stripes darken to almost black toward the rear. The sides of the abdomen are brownish. The underside is whitish with a black spot near the rear. The legs are short, spiny, and yellowish, with no dark rings. The front two pairs project forward, the hind two pairs project backward. The last segment (tarsus) on each leg has three claws at the tip, though these are not visible to the naked eye. The male is smaller, ⅛″ (3.1 to 3.6 mm) in length. |
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Size |
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Female Body Length: ⅛″ to 3⁄16″ (3.98 to 4.90 mm) Male Body Length: ⅛″ (3.1 to 3.6 mm) Legspan: ¼″ to ⅜″ (7 to 10 mm) |
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Web |
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The web is large and oval. It is called an “orb”, which gives this family of spiders its common name. It is about 8″ (20 cm) in diameter and hangs vertically. The spider hunts from the center of the web at night. No retreat is constructed. |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
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Fields, meadows, and forage crops |
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Biology |
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Season |
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May to August |
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Behavior |
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Adults are active at night. |
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Life Cycle |
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Food |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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3/9/2023 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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Class | Arachnida (arachnids) | ||
Order |
Araneae (spiders) | ||
Suborder |
Araneomorphae (typical spiders) | ||
Infraorder | Entelegynae | ||
Superfamily | Araneoidea (orbweavers and allies) | ||
Family |
Araneidae (orbweavers) | ||
Subfamily |
Araneinae (typical orbweavers) | ||
Genus |
Araneus (angulate and roundshouldered orbweavers) | ||
Synonyms |
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Araneus praticola Araneus reptilis Epeira reptilis Singa listeri Singa pratensis Singa rubella |
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Common Names |
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dark-striped orbweaver openfield orbweaver |
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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.
Cephalothorax
The front part of the body of various arthropods, composed of the head region and the thoracic area fused together. Eyes, legs, and antennae are attached to this part.
Seta
A stiff, hair-like process on the outer surface of an organism. In Lepidoptera: A usually rigid bristle- or hair-like outgrowth used to sense touch. In mosses: The stalk supporting a spore-bearing capsule and supplying it with nutrients. Plural: setae.
Tarsus
On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.
Tibia
The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.
Visitor Photos |
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Babette Kis |
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Araneus Pratensis openfield orbweaver pictures. Araneus pratensis, openfield orbweaver spiders, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. These spiders were seen in late summer, between September 9 and September 20, with webs connected to grasses. They're very small, about 2 1/2 to 3 mm. Hub of their webs were about 8" to 16" from the ground. |
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Araneus pratensis openfield orbweaver |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Other Videos |
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Araneus pratensis fatal attraction! SpiderMentor |
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About
Apr 5, 2019 Araneus pratensis (Araneidae). An assertive male (on the left) and defensive female (on the right). The male approached the female with the intention to mate. It ended badly. |
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Created: 3/9/2023
Last Updated: