Orchard Spider (Leucauge venusta)
|
|
Many of the spiders in the Hartman Prehistoric Garden are quite small. The Orchard Spider is a 3/8 inch long orbweaver. The web is often oriented horizontally, with the spider hanging down in the center. Orchard spiders have a silvery white body with green and black markings. The most striking features, however, are the neon yellow, orange, or red spots on the rear of the abdomen. These are variable in size among individuals and sometimes are not even present. An interesting feature that is only visible under magnification is a comb-like set of hairs along the front side of the back legs, right next to the spider's body. This can be seen in the ventral view shown below.
|
class: Arachnida / order: Araneae / family: Tetragnathidae / genus: Leucauge / species: venusta
| site by larvalbug |
