Eresus walckenaeri, aka the Velvet Spider, aka the Ladybird Spider, lives in hot, dry, rocky habitat and spends most of their lives hidden under stones in silk-lined retreats. They camouflage it with silk, soil, and debris, and lay trip lines that let them feel prey moving nearby. Sometimes their webbing can even have a faint pinkish color!
They are amoung the few spider species that are mostly active during the day and the adult males are famous for their bright red-and-black look (ladybird beetles = ladybugs).
This species has a distinct eastern Mediterranean lineage and ranges from sea level up to about 1200 meters, or roughly 3900 feet. They may also disperse by ballooning, which is where they release their webbing into air, like a parachute, and let the breeze carry them away to a new location.
Velvet spider mothers guard their egg sac until their brood emerges. Then they protect and care for their spiderlings, and even regurgitate food to feed her babies. Later, in one of the most extreme forms of maternal care in spiders, the slings will consume their mother as her last meal to them. That final sacrifice is called matriphagy.
That took a dark turn there at the end. Kinda creepy for such a cute little spider.
