Observed on a flax plant growing at Muddy Creek Esplanade Reserve salt marsh
They would be perfectly camouflaged - without light-reflecting eyes....
Araneidae
Argiope bruennichi
Love story. Episode 2.
Episode 1: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/18552019
Love story. Episode 1.
Episode 2: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19150046
Was seen gaurding the egg sac
Помечу предварительно как Lycosa, хотя я в этом не уверен, поскольку это пока неизвестный науке паучок. Вид примечателен тем, что вход в норку паук делает в виде трубочки, возвышающейся над грунтом. Трубочку здесь не видно, поскольку она оказалась раздавлена. Видимо, кто-то наступил. Вот такой же паучок ювенил с хорошо видной трубочкой. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36424658
A unique and interesting find…..
On 1/5/20 I found something that completely blew my mind. I was at a local balancing pond on the Coopers Edge Estate SO874163 when I came across an Alopecosa pulverulenta female with her egg sac. It looked like she was in the process of rotating the sac as it was positioned under her sternum and being held in her chelicerae (photo 1). Her imitation of that other grass dwelling species Pisaura mirabilis, was very impressive indeed. After taking a couple of photographs the spider ran off, although in a rather ungainly fashion due to the way she was holding her egg sac. It was then that I noticed that rather than one sac, the spider was actually carrying two (photo 2). To say I was shocked is an understatement and I stopped her disappearing into the undergrowth by blocking her path with my hand. She then changed direction and started to head towards the shorter patch of grass that I had originally seen her on. This helped me twofold by making it easier for me to photograph, (it’s no easy chore chasing Lycosids through grass, especially with my knees) and also there was less chance of me losing the spider. I took several photos of her in her natural habitat (photo 3 & 4) before collecting her and popping into a container. I then packed up my camera equipment and made the five minute walk back to my home thoroughly excited with my find. Once home I started to look carefully at the egg sacs under a 10x magnification hand lens. From experience I can see that the white sac was produced by A.pulverulenta as it has the shape and structure of a golf ball which is typical for a freshly produced egg sac of that species. Initially, I believed the second sac and obviously the older one, was produced by a Pardosa species but must confess to having reservations about this now. Both sacs have been welded together with silk and the fresh sac is indented by the older sac. I can only surmise as to how she ended up with two egg sacs. One theory is that the A.pulverulenta found the older discarded sac shortly before she was due to produce her own sac and the innate maternal instincts kicked in thus causing her to attach the sac to her spinnerets. Whatever the reason for her having two egg sacs, this seemed a very unique find. For the next several hours I searched through the literature regarding this behaviour or even a similar image of a Lycosid with 2 sacs but this proved fruitless. What my search did throw up was a remarkable image of an ichneumon wasp, Gelis species emerging from a Pardosa species sac that was photographed by Chris Ernst in the Yukon territory, Canada. Why would this seem remarkable to me? Well, after studying the egg sacs and looking at the photos I had taken, I noticed two tiny holes in the older egg sac (photo 5 & 6) which looked remarkably similar to those in Ernst’s photograph (Ernst, C. 2012). From my experience, these holes were not caused by spiderlings emerging and besides, it would be far far too early for emerging lycosid spiderlings if we consider the egg sac was produced this year. . I also did not believe that these were caused by wear and tear as the lycosid egg sac is extremely tough and durable. Was the Pardosa sac discarded due to parasitoids? If so, the two small holes would suggest that the progeny of the parasitoid had emerged and the sac was now empty. An interesting study by Joe Bowden & Chris Buddle showed that in the Yukon territory, Pardosa species egg sacs are relentlessly parasitised by Gelis species (Bowden & Buddle 2012). Whether the older egg sac that the A.pulverulenta is carrying had been paraitised remains to be seen and although I have been very tempted to remove the sacs to investigate I have decided to leave them be until the young spiderlings emerge from the fresh sac. Until that time, the A.pulverulenta has been set up in a cosy enclosure.
Ernst, C. 2012 : The Wolf Spider Parasite - The Bug Geek.
https://thebuggeek.com/2012/10/19/photo-friday-wolf-spider-parasite/
Bowden, J J. & Buddle, C. 2012
Egg sac parasitism of Arctic wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) from northwestern North America.
The Journal of Arachnology Vol. 40, Issue 3 (Nov 2012), pg(s) 348-350
I've been studying the Ero aphana in my garden for nearly 6 years and this was the first image I captured of a female consuming a male E.aphana.
Observations concerning the prey capture capabilities of Ero aphana spiderlings soon after emerging from their egg sac.
The common name “pirate spiders” refers to them being predatory on other spiders. Very little has been known of the secretive habits of these tiny species, which were first recorded in Dorset in 1974, so a relative newcomer to the UK or maybe always been here but never observed. These are a vagrant species, always on the move, wonderfully cryptic, looking to the naked eye like a piece of detritus and tiny, 3mm when adult. So observing in the wild is nigh on impossible and these obs are on a captive specimen.
Several weeks ago I observed an Ero aphana spiderling take prey 2 hrs after emerging from its egg-sac.The prey was a tiny Paidiscura pallens but the Ero’s feat none the less remarkable. I decided to push the boundaries with my next experiment.
The next Ero spiderling had only emerged from an egg-sac 2 days previously and I decided to introduce a large Linyphiidae. The reaction was instant and in a blur both spiders were entangled. For a moment I thought that the bigger spider had bested the Ero but as the pirate spider slowly and methodically retreated it was obvious the Linyphiid was quite dead.. Ero venom is extremely potent to other arachnids and death is virtually instantaneous. After several minutes the Ero re-approached and wrapped it's prey with a messy silk shroud before feasting. Interestingly, when I checked on the progress 3 hours later, the young Ero was bloated and resting. Nearby was the mother Ero finishing off the remains!! This fascinating behaviour shows that from the moment the spiderlings they emerge from the egg sac, they have venom potency and foraging capabilities of their parents in every way.
Location: Makunda Christian Hospital, Karimganj District, Assam
Date: 21st March 2020
Equipment: Nikon D800 with Micro-Nikkor 105mm
Exhibiting physical distancing by using a dragline at night in order to rest below a leaf and minimize predation risks
Heteropoda maxima or Giant Huntsman spider (largest known spider in legspan) is here preying on Micryletta inornata.
Bird Drop Spider. I am assuming this is a female siting on egg capsules with a possibly a very small male on her abdomen.