''Uloborus walckenaerius'', also known as the feather-legged spider, is a
cribellate
Cribellum literally means "little sieve", and in biology the term generally applies to anatomical structures in the form of tiny perforated plates.
In certain groups of diatoms it refers to microscopically punctured regions of the frustule, or o ...
spider in the family
Uloboridae
Uloboridae is a family of non-venomous spiders, known as cribellate orb weavers or hackled orb weavers. Their lack of venom glands is a secondarily evolved trait. Instead, they wrap their prey thoroughly in silk, cover it in regurgitated digestive ...
. Like all spiders in this family, they do not have venom glands and immobilize their prey with over 140 metres of thread. They are named in honor of
Charles Athanase Walckenaer.
Description
Adult females have a body length of 3.5–6 mm (0.14–0.24 in), males 3–4 mm (0.12–0.17 in). They have a dark grey
prosoma
The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...
, covered with white hairs, leaving some dark bands uncovered. They have eight eyes, arranged in two almost parallel rows of four, with the anterior lateral eyes on the front corners of the head. The abdomen is greyish-white in colour, with a continuation of the pattern on the carapace. It bears a brown median line, with alternating white and brown bands on either side. There are fluffy white tufts of hair on the white bands, which are very distinct from the side. The legs range from dark grey-brown to reddish-brown, with faint, white annulations. The front two pairs of legs are significantly longer than the rear pairs.
Distribution and Habitat
Globally they are found in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
,
China,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, and
Japan. The spider lives in warm, open terrain, like heathland, and weaves horizontal cribellate orb webs close to the ground. A
stabilimentum
A stabilimentum (plural: stabilimenta), also known as a web decoration, is a conspicuous silk structure included in the webs of some species of orb-web spider. Its function is a subject of debate.
Origin
It is likely that the use of stabiliment ...
is sometimes present, and the spider hangs beneath the hub.
References
External links
Picture of ''U. walckenaerius''Picture, synonyms, references and other information at the Nearctic Spider Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1313352
Uloboridae
Spiders of Europe
Spiders described in 1806
Palearctic spiders