#featherlegged orbweaver

[onenicebugperday]

@chuchuana submitted: hi, taylor! as of writing, you’re a bit under the weather… i hope you’re feeling better now!

i came across this peculiar spider (?) the other day… i’m assuming it’s a spider because it was very comfortable hanging out on a web, but i’ve never seen anything shaped quite like it! i wanted to send a couple of pics and see if you had any idea what it could be, and i’m located in [removed] (please remove location!). no worries if it’s not possible to get an id as the pictures aren’t nearly as nice as i’d like, but it was so small that my phone was refusing to focus on the little guy…

either way, thank you for all that you do and i hope you have a lovely day!

Hello! I am definitely feeling better now, thank you.

Looks to me like a featherlegged orbweaver, Uloborus glomosus. They are indeed very strangely shaped! Interestingly, Uloboridae is one of the only families of spiders that do not have venom glands :)

[spidersdaily]

Uloborus glomosus is a species of spider in the family Uloboridae. It is one of only a few Uloborus species found in North America and the only species found in Canada. Like all other species in the Uloboridae family Uloborus glomosus does not possess venom glands, relying instead on cribellate, a fuzzy non sticky silk that they use to trap and then wrap their prey.

[onenicebugperday]

@andtheirlovewasrenewed submitted: Hi! Could you identify this friend for me? It’s an orb weaver, but I’m not sure what genus or species. Sorry for the bad photo, my phone was about to die so I took it quickly. Location is [removed] (please remove)

Hello! It's hard to say without a closer/clearer photo. From what I can see of the general body shape and what appear to be tufts no the front legs, it could be a featherlegged orbweaver.

[onenicebugperday]

Featherlegged orbweaver, Uloborus glomosus, Uloboridae

This species belongs to the family Uloboridae, the only known spiders that do not possess venom glands. Instead, they rely on entirely on their web to catch prey. Most species of Uloborids are very small; the featherlegged orbweaver measures only 1/8″ - 1/4″.

Photo 1 by ecarpe, 2 (spider, egg sac, and prey) by Judy Gallagher, 3-4 by wildcarrot, 5-6 by molanic, 7 (for scale) by brenledbetter, 8 (male) by keimwj, and 9 (typical web) by kimberlietx

[onenicebugperday]

do u kno what type of friend this guy is!!!! this guy was hangin out on my curtain chillin, they didnt move til i touched him (didnt realize they were there!) rlly small tho, prolly abt the size of my fingertip! also i live in south carolina!

I sure do!!! It’s a featherlegged orbweaver. They have fuzzy front legs which is very fancy of them. And they make pretty neat webs!

Photo by kalamurphyking

Thanks for sharing your nice new roommate :)

[onenicebugperday]

I found this fellow! He’s definitely a spider but his legs are arranged against his body, long ways instead of out perpendicular to it like a crab spider. Found in the Southeast US!

Thank you to the submitter for letting me know it was found in Georgia! Specific locations make it much easier, especially since the US is so big. Anyhoo it looks to me like a featherlegged orbweaver, Uloborus glomosus. They sit on their web with their front four legs out in front of them and the rest tucked up by their body and often make that stripey bit of silk through the middle of their web. Here’s a better look at one:

Cute!!! Love them.

Photo by mokennon

Thanks for sharing this spider pal!

[daily-critter]

today’s critter:

featherlegged orbweaver (uloborus glomosus)

this spider belongs to the family uloboridae, which is a very unique spider family for the fact that they do not produce venom! they instead use a fuzzy non-sticky silk, called cribellate, to trap and wrap up their prey