Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Small
Diet: Insectivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Subtropical forest
Range: The Americas
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

This orb-weaving spider lives in forests from the United States to Brazil. Its abdomen features a metallic silver sheen that reflects light to camouflage its body.

Life cycle

1.
egg sac
A silk-wrapped egg sac shelters a clutch of eggs until the young are ready to emerge.
2.
juvenile
A spiderling emerges from the egg sac already in miniature adult form and starts catching prey almost immediately.
3.
subadult
A near-adult arachnid molts through several instars, growing larger and developing mature markings.
4.
adult
Fully grown after its final molt.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Tetragnathidae
Genus: Leucauge
Species: Leucauge argyrobapta