Stats

Lifespan

1-3 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Climbing

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Venom

Status

Common

About

A small cobweb spider with a cream-and-brown zigzag pattern across its rounded abdomen, native to Europe but now common in buildings worldwide. It builds tangled webs in dark corners and is a frequent, harmless housemate that preys on ants and other pests.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg sac

   A silk-wrapped egg sac shelters a clutch of eggs until the young are ready to emerge.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A spiderling emerges from the egg sac already in miniature adult form and starts catching prey almost immediately.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult arachnid molts through several instars, growing larger and developing mature markings.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown after its final molt.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Theridiidae

Genus

Steatoda

Species

Steatoda triangulosa