Common eastern ray spider
The common eastern ray spider is a tiny spider with a round, shiny, silvery body, like a little pearl. It builds a small round web and then pulls it into a cone shape, like an umbrella blown inside out. When an insect comes close, it lets go and the web snaps forward.
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Fun facts
It holds its web tight with one thread, like a slingshot, and lets go when prey comes near.
It seems to listen for its prey. Scientists made it release its web just by humming a tuning fork near it.
The lines in its web join into small groups before they meet in the middle, not like in other round webs.
Its scientist name means set with jewels, and the man who named it said it looks like mother of pearl.
Most asked questions about Common eastern ray spider
?How big is the common eastern ray spider?
Tiny. A female is only 2 to 3 millimetres long, and the male is even smaller.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Theridiosoma gemmosum
- Named by
- L. Koch, 1877
- Group
- Spiders
- Family
- Theridiosomatidae
- Classification
- Arachnida > Araneae > Theridiosomatidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, North America
Where the facts come from
- Theridiosoma gemmosum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Phil. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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