Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Small

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America

Movement

Walking

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This orb-weaving spider lives in the forests of the eastern United States. Its abdomen features two long, sharp spines that can reach over five millimeters in length.

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

Araneidae

Genus

Micrathena

Species

Micrathena sagittata