Cambridgea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cambridgea |
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| Cambridgea foliata | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Desidae |
| Genus: | Cambridgea L. Koch, 1872 |
| Species | |
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See text. |
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Cambridgea spiders, also known as New Zealand sheetweb spiders or bush spiders, are a special type of spider found only in New Zealand. They are famous for building really big, flat webs that can be as large as a picnic blanket! These spiders were some of the first native spiders from New Zealand that scientists described. They belong to a spider family called Desidae.
Scientists first thought Cambridgea spiders were part of a different family. But thanks to new studies, they are now correctly placed in the Desidae family.
Contents
What do Cambridgea Spiders Look Like?
Cambridgea spiders are medium to large-sized spiders. Their bodies can be about 6 to 10 millimeters long, like the Cambridgea reinga. But some, like the Cambridgea foliata, can be much bigger, up to 20 millimeters (about the size of a large coin).
They have long legs, which help them move quickly. They also have special mouthparts called chelicerae that stick out in front. In adult males, these mouthparts are much longer than in females.
How do Cambridgea Spiders Behave?
Male Spiders Looking for Mates
In the summer, when male Cambridgea spiders grow up, they leave their own webs. They wander around at night looking for female spiders who are ready to mate. Sometimes, these wandering males might accidentally end up inside people's homes, and can even get stuck in bathtubs!
When a male finds a female's web, he will try to protect it. If another male spider comes along, they will often fight.
How Male Spiders Fight
Spider fights usually follow clear steps. First, males might try to scare each other. They do this by shaking their bodies or tapping their legs and pedipalps (small leg-like feelers) on the web. This makes the web move and sends signals.
If one male doesn't leave, the fight gets more serious. They might push each other with their front two pairs of legs. Sometimes, they even grab each other's mouthparts and push forward. But don't worry, these fights rarely cause any harm to the spiders!
How Cambridgea Spiders Build Webs
Cambridgea spiders are known for building their special three-dimensional sheet webs. Imagine a thick, flat sheet of silk that is held up by threads from below. Above this main sheet, there are many "knock-down" threads. These threads are like tripwires for flying insects. When an insect flies into them, it falls onto the main sheet, where the spider is waiting.
The back of the web usually leads to a silken hideout. This hideout goes into small cracks or holes, giving the spider a safe place to rest.
Web Size and Location
The size of these webs can be very different. Some species build huge sheet webs that are up to one square meter (about 11 square feet) in size! However, some Cambridgea species, like Cambridgea quadromaculata, don't build webs at all.
Spiders that do build webs usually hang underneath the main sheet. This is different from some other sheet-web spiders that walk on top of their webs.
Types of Cambridgea Spiders
As of May 2018, the World Spider Catalog recognized many different species of Cambridgea spiders. Most of these species are found in New Zealand. Here are some examples:
- Cambridgea agrestis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea ambigua — New Zealand
- Cambridgea annulata — Chatham Islands
- Cambridgea antipodiana — New Zealand
- Cambridgea arboricola — New Zealand
- Cambridgea australis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea decorata — New Zealand
- Cambridgea elegans — New Zealand
- Cambridgea elongata — New Zealand
- Cambridgea fasciata — New Zealand
- Cambridgea foliata — New Zealand
- Cambridgea inaequalis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea insulana — New Zealand
- Cambridgea longipes — New Zealand
- Cambridgea mercurialis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea obscura — New Zealand
- Cambridgea occidentalis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea ordishi — New Zealand
- Cambridgea pallidula — New Zealand
- Cambridgea peculiaris — New Zealand
- Cambridgea peelensis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea plagiata — New Zealand
- Cambridgea quadromaculata — New Zealand
- Cambridgea ramsayi — New Zealand
- Cambridgea reinga — New Zealand
- Cambridgea secunda — New Zealand
- Cambridgea simoni — New Caledonia
- Cambridgea solanderensis — New Zealand
- Cambridgea sylvatica — New Zealand
- Cambridgea tuiae — New Zealand
- Cambridgea turbotti — New Zealand
