Leaf at first sight: How leaf-curling spiders pair up and build a family home
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Leaf at first sight: How leaf-curling spiders
pair up and build a family home
7 January 2022, by Jess Marsh
to lift a leaf up from the ground and into their orb
web.
Using their legs, they then carefully curl it up and
secure it with silk in a funnel or cone shape. They
weave this curled leaf into the web using more silk.
If they can't find a suitable leaf, they might use
other objects such as snail shells and pieces of
paper.
Young spiders, which aren't as strong as adults,
start by curling up small, fresh green leaves for
their retreats and move on to bigger dry leaves as
they get older.
Credit: Shutterstock
The curled leaves—or bits of paper—protect the
spider from hungry predators, such as birds. They
also shield the spider from parasitic wasps, which
Have you recently spotted a spider peeking out lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other insects
from a brown, curled-up leaf in your garden? and spiders, eventually killing their hosts.
Chances are you're sharing your yard with the leaf- The spider can sit safely in their retreat, while
curling spider, Phonognatha graeffei (pronounced keeping their front legs extended and in contact
fon-og-natha greef-e-i), a fascinating member of with their orb web. That way, the spider can sense
the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae any vibrations caused by an insect trapped in its
(pronounced aran-ee-i-dee). web—and nip out to grab the food.
This spider—found in each state and territory in Like most other orb-weaving spiders, leaf-curling
Australia—builds its orb web in plants and places in spiders are not fussy and will eat any insect that
it a special custom-built hiding spot: a curled up happens to get tangled in their web, such as flies,
leaf. bees, moths and butterflies. They can even handle
prey quite a bit bigger than them.
Similar to other orb-weaving spiders, the leaf-
curling spider lives for only one year and is most The spiders will spend most of their time in their
commonly seen in late summer. retreat, only venturing out to get food in the day, or
to repair and rebuild their webs (usually at night).
They are found in woodlands as well as urban
gardens and greenery and have particularly
interesting family arrangements.
Why and how do they curl the leaves?
To make their leafy retreats, these spiders use silk
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— Peter F Williams (@pfwaus) July 27,
2020
Are there eggs or baby spiders inside the
curled leaves?
These spiders have interesting family
arrangements.
Unusually for spiders, males and female leaf-
curling spiders form pairs and share a leaf retreat.
The spider can sit safely in their retreat, while keeping
The male moves in with the female when she is
their front legs extended and in contact with their orb
web. Credit: Shutterstock young and once she is mature he will mate with
her. According to one study
Females may cannibalize cohabiting males, which
Venomous? Yes. Dangerous? No. occurs independently of whether the female has
been deprived of food.
Nearly all spiders you come across are
venomous—in other words, they have venom. After mating, the female makes another curled leaf
retreat in vegetation away from her web. This one
But being venomous isn't the same as being is a "nursery" retreat, in which she will lay her eggs.
dangerous to humans, and like most spiders, leaf-
curling spiders aren't dangerous to us. A fascinating and beautiful world
The leaf-curling spider has small fangs that point Spiders aren't top of most people's favorite animal
together, a bit like pincers. Bites are rare. If you list, I get that.
hassle one, the spider could try to bite, which may
cause localized pain and swelling at the site—but But, if you are able to spend a bit of time observing
the symptoms are generally mild. their lives and getting to know them and their
stories, it can open up a fascinating and often
If you spot one, just "leaf" it alone and it will do the beautiful world.
same to you.
Spiders and other invertebrates such as beetles,
And remember: having leaf-curling spiders in your flies, snails and millipedes are really important for
back yard is something to be proud of! These the workings of our natural world, and so for us.
fascinating little creatures are great for keeping
down pest insects and are a gardener's friend. And when you get to know them, they are also
pretty cool.
Shy during the daylight hours, a Leaf
Curling #Spider comes out of it's comfort This article is republished from The Conversation
zone under cover of darkness in the under a Creative Commons license. Read the
backyard jungle at #HeathcoteNSW original article.
#Sydney #NSW #NewSouthWales
#Australia #WildOz #nature
Provided by The Conversation
pic.twitter.com/yHmp3q6CWJ
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APA citation: Leaf at first sight: How leaf-curling spiders pair up and build a family home (2022, January
7) retrieved 15 February 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-01-leaf-sight-leaf-curling-spiders-
pair.html
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