Orb-weaver spider facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Orb-weaver spiders Temporal range: Cretaceous–present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N

Argiope catenulata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Superfamily:	Araneoidea
Family:	Araneidae Clerck, 1757
Diversity
175 genera, 3058 species

Orb-weaver spiders are a big family of spiders called Araneidae. They are famous for building amazing spiral, wheel-shaped webs. You can often find these webs in gardens, fields, and forests. The word "orb" means "circular," which is why they are called orb-weavers.

These spiders have eight eyes that look similar. Their legs are often hairy or spiny. Orb-weavers are found all over the world. Many of them are large or have bright colors, like the garden spiders you might see.

The Araneidae family is the third-largest spider family. It has over 3,000 different kinds of spiders in more than 170 groups. Orb-weaver spiders build their webs in a very specific way. First, they create a frame of silk that isn't sticky. Then, they add a spiral of silk covered in tiny, sticky drops. This sticky silk is what catches insects.

Other spider families also make orb-shaped webs. For example, long-jawed orb weavers are related to Araneidae. Another group, the hackled orb-weavers, make similar webs. But they use a different kind of silk that is not sticky.

Amazing Orb-Weaver Spider Webs
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Genera
Images for kids
See also

Amazing Orb-Weaver Spider Webs

An Argiope spider resting on its web.

Baby spiders in their web, right after hatching.

A close-up of an Eriophora spider's head and body.

A spiny orb-weaver spider.

A classic orb-weaver spider web.

Orb-weaving spiders usually have three claws. They use these claws to build flat webs with sticky silk. Building a web is like a big engineering project!

Here is how they do it:

The spider first lets a silk line float on the wind. This line connects to another surface, like a branch.
The spider secures this first line. Then, it drops another line from the middle, making a "Y" shape.
Next, the spider builds the rest of the web's frame. It adds many non-sticky lines that spread out like spokes on a wheel.
Finally, the spider adds a sticky spiral of silk. This is the part that traps insects.

The spider uses its third claw to walk on the non-sticky parts of the web. When an insect flies into the sticky lines, the spider quickly bites it. This bite stuns the prey. Then, the spider wraps the insect in silk. If the insect is dangerous, like a wasp, the spider might wrap it first before biting.

For the web to work well, it needs to be hard for insects to see. But the stickier the web, the more visible it can be. So, spiders have to find a balance between being sticky and being hidden.

Many orb-weavers build a new web every single day. Most of them are active in the evening. They hide during the day. As evening comes, the spider often eats its old web. After resting for about an hour, it spins a brand new web in the same spot. This means their webs are usually very clean.

Spiders That Don't Build Webs

Some orb-weavers don't build webs at all! Spiders in the Mastophora group (in the Americas) and Cladomelea (in Africa) are examples. They make sticky balls that smell like insect pheromones. A pheromone is a chemical signal that animals use to communicate.

The spider dangles this sticky ball from a silk thread. The smell attracts male moths of certain species. The moths get stuck on the ball, and the spider pulls them in to eat. These "bolas spiders" are very good at hiding.

Spiny orb-weaving spiders, like those in the Gasteracantha and Micrathena groups, look like plant seeds or thorns. They hang in their orb-webs. Some Gasteracantha species have very long, horn-like spines on their bodies.

Web Decorations: Stabilimentum

Some orb-weavers add a special crisscross silk band to the center of their webs. This is called a stabilimentum. You can see it in spiders like Argiope, also known as yellow and banded garden spiders.

Scientists think the stabilimentum might have a few uses:

It could attract prey.
It might warn birds to stay away from the web.
It could help the spider hide when it sits in the middle of the web.
It might make the silk less visible to insects.

The silk used by orb-weavers is super strong. It can handle the impact of flying insects. Some orb-weavers, like Zygiella x-notata, build webs with a unique missing section.

Ancient Orb-Weavers

Fossils show that orb webs existed a very long time ago, during the Cretaceous period. This was about 140 million years ago! At that time, many flowering plants and insects were also appearing. Orb-weavers became very important predators of flying insects in many places. Some scientists even think that spider predation, especially by orb-weavers, helped drive the evolution of insects.

Most spider webs are built vertically, and the spiders usually hang upside down. Some orb-weavers, like those in the Metepeira group, hide their orb web inside a tangled mess of other silk. Some Metepeira spiders even live together in huge communal webs. In 2009, workers at a treatment plant in Baltimore found a giant web covering four acres! It had over 100 million orb-weaver spiders living in it.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Orb-weaver spiders have interesting ways of mating.

Sometimes, the male spider slowly walks to the center of the female's web. He has to be careful not to get eaten! Once he reaches the center, he grabs the female.
Other times, the male builds a special mating thread near or on the web. He uses vibrations to attract the female. If she is interested, they mate on this thread.

Genera

As of April 2019, the World Spider Catalog lists many different groups (genera) of orb-weaver spiders. Here are some of them:

Acacesia — Found in North and South America
Acantharachne — Found in Africa
Acanthepeira — Found in North America and Brazil
Acroaspis — Found in New Zealand and Australia
Acrosomoides — Found in Madagascar and Cameroon
Actinacantha — Found in Indonesia
Actinosoma — Found in Colombia and Argentina
Aculepeira — Found in many parts of the world
Acusilas — Found in Asia
Aethriscus — Found in Congo
Aethrodiscus — Found in Central Africa
Aetrocantha — Found in Central Africa
Afracantha — Found in Africa
Agalenatea — Found in Ethiopia and Asia
Alenatea — Found in Asia
Allocyclosa — Found in the United States, Panama, Cuba
Alpaida — Found in Central and South America
Amazonepeira — Found in South America
Anepsion — Found in Oceania and Asia
Arachnura — Found in Asia, Oceania, Africa
Araneus — Found worldwide
Araniella — Found in Asia
Aranoethra — Found in Africa
Argiope — Found worldwide
Artifex — Found in Australia
Artonis — Found in Myanmar, Ethiopia
Aspidolasius — Found in South America
Augusta — Found in Madagascar
Austracantha — Found in Australia
Backobourkia — Found in Australia, New Zealand
Bertrana — Found in South and Central America
Caerostris — Found in Africa, Asia
Carepalxis — Found in Oceania, South America, Mexico
Celaenia — Found in Australia, New Zealand
Cercidia — Found in Russia, Kazakhstan, India
Chorizopes — Found in Asia, Madagascar
Chorizopesoides — Found in China, Vietnam
Cladomelea — Found in South Africa, Congo
Clitaetra — Found in Africa, Sri Lanka
Cnodalia — Found in Indonesia, Japan
Coelossia — Found in Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Madagascar
Colaranea — Found in New Zealand
Collina — Found in Australia
Colphepeira — Found in the United States, Mexico
Cryptaranea — Found in New Zealand
Cyclosa — Found worldwide
Cyphalonotus — Found in Asia, Africa
Cyrtarachne — Found in Asia, Africa, Oceania
Cyrtobill — Found in Australia
Cyrtophora — Found worldwide
Deione — Found in Myanmar
Deliochus — Found in Australia, Papua New Guinea
Dolophones — Found in Australia, Indonesia
Dubiepeira — Found in South America
Edricus — Found in Mexico, Panama, Ecuador
Enacrosoma — Found in South and Central America, Mexico
Encyosaccus — Found in South America
Epeiroides — Found in Costa Rica, Brazil
Eriophora — Found in Oceania, United States, South and Central America, Africa
Eriovixia — Found in Asia, Papua New Guinea, Africa
Eustacesia — Found in French Guiana
Eustala — Found in North, Central, and South America
Exechocentrus — Found in Madagascar
Faradja — Found in Congo
Friula — Found in Indonesia
Galaporella — Found in Ecuador
Gasteracantha — Found worldwide
Gastroxya — Found in Africa
Gea — Found worldwide
Gibbaranea — Found in Asia, Europe, Algeria
Glyptogona — Found in Sri Lanka, Italy, Israel
Gnolus — Found in Chile, Argentina
Herennia — Found in Asia, Oceania
Heterognatha — Found in Chile
Heurodes — Found in Asia, Australia
Hingstepeira — Found in South America
Hypognatha — Found in South and Central America, Mexico
Hypsacantha — Found in Africa
Hypsosinga — Found in Asia, North America, Greenland, Africa
Ideocaira — Found in South Africa
Isoxya — Found in Africa, Yemen
Kaira — Found in North and South America
Kapogea — Found in Mexico, South and Central America
Kilima — Found in Congo, Seychelles, Yemen
Larinia — Found worldwide
Lariniaria — Found in Asia
Larinioides — Found in Asia
Lariniophora — Found in Australia
Leviellus — Found in Asia, France
Lewisepeira — Found in Panama, Mexico, Jamaica
Lipocrea — Found in Asia, Europe
Macracantha — Found in India, China, Indonesia
Madacantha — Found in Madagascar
Mahembea — Found in Central and East Africa
Mangora — Found in Asia, North, Central, and South America
Manogea — Found in South and Central America, Mexico
Mastophora — Found in North, Central, and South America
Mecynogea — Found in North and South America
Megaraneus — Found in Africa
Melychiopharis — Found in Brazil
Metazygia — Found in North, Central, and South America
Metepeira — Found in North, Central, and South America
Micrathena — Found in North, Central, and South America
Micrepeira — Found in South America, Costa Rica
Micropoltys — Found in Papua New Guinea, Australia
Milonia — Found in Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar
Molinaranea — Found in Chile, Argentina
Nemoscolus — Found in Africa
Nemosinga — Found in Tanzania
Nemospiza — Found in South Africa
Neogea — Found in Papua New Guinea, India, Indonesia
Neoscona — Found worldwide
Nephila — Found in Asia, Oceania, United States, Africa, South America
Nephilengys — Found in Asia, Oceania
Nephilingis — Found in South America, Africa
Nicolepeira — Found in Chile
Novakiella — Found in Australia, New Zealand
Novaranea — Found in Australia, New Zealand
Nuctenea — Found in Algeria, Asia
Oarces — Found in Brazil, Chile, Argentina
Ocrepeira — Found in North, Central, and South America
Ordgarius — Found in Asia, Oceania
Paralarinia — Found in Congo, South Africa
Paraplectana — Found in Asia, Africa
Paraplectanoides — Found in Australia
Pararaneus — Found in Madagascar
Parawixia — Found in Mexico, South America, Asia

PNG, Central America

Parmatergus — Found in Madagascar
Pasilobus — Found in Africa, Asia
Perilla — Found in Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia
Pherenice — Found in Cameroon
Phonognatha — Found in Australia
Pitharatus — Found in Malaysia, Indonesia
Plebs — Found in Oceania, Asia
Poecilarcys — Found in Tunisia
Poecilopachys — Found in Oceania
Poltys — Found in Asia, Africa, Oceania
Porcataraneus — Found in India, China
Pozonia — Found in Caribbean, Paraguay, Mexico, Panama
Prasonica — Found in Africa, Asia, Oceania
Prasonicella — Found in Madagascar, Seychelles
Pronoides — Found in Asia
Pronous — Found in Malaysia, Mexico, Central and South America, Madagascar
Pseudartonis — Found in Africa
Pseudopsyllo — Found in Cameroon
Psyllo — Found in Cameroon, Congo
Pycnacantha — Found in Africa
Rubrepeira — Found in Mexico, Brazil
Scoloderus — Found in Belize, North America, Argentina
Sedasta — Found in West Africa
Singa — Found in Africa, Asia, North America, Europe
Singafrotypa — Found in Africa
Siwa — Found in Asia
Spilasma — Found in South America, Honduras
Spinepeira — Found in Peru
Spintharidius — Found in South America, Cuba
Taczanowskia — Found in Mexico, South America
Talthybia — Found in China, Myanmar
Tatepeira — Found in South America, Honduras
Telaprocera — Found in Australia
Testudinaria — Found in South America, Panama
Thelacantha — Found in Madagascar, Asia, Australia
Thorellina — Found in Myanmar, Papua New Guinea
Togacantha — Found in Africa
Umbonata — Found in Tanzania
Ursa — Found in Asia, South America, South Africa
Verrucosa — Found in North America, Panama, South America, Australia
Wagneriana — Found in North, Central, and South America
Witica — Found in Cuba, Mexico, Peru
Wixia — Found in Brazil, Guyana, Bolivia
Xylethrus — Found in South America, Mexico, Jamaica, Panama
Yaginumia — Found in Asia
Zealaranea — Found in New Zealand
Zilla — Found in Azerbaijan, India, China
Zygiella — Found in North America, Asia, Ukraine, South America

Images for kids

An Araneidae spider waiting on its web for prey.