Spiders usually evoke either subconscious horror or disgust in most people. Arachnophobia, oddly enough, is common to many people. Theoretically, because spiders are poisonous. But! Of the several thousand of their poisonous varieties, at most one and a half hundred are scraped together, the rest are safe for people. The second explanation is the disgusting appearance. However, the most dangerous spider, the tarantula, resembles a plush toy. And his small fellow tribesman, Argiope Brünnich, generally has an elegant, almost festive appearance. So arachnophobia is something irrational, and spiders themselves are worthy of attention and interest, like any other work of nature.
Argiope's appearance
Even fierce opponents of arachnids find the Argiope Brünnich spider beautiful. It is more popularly known by other names: wasp spider, tiger spider, and less commonly, zebra spider. And all thanks to the bright, original, memorable coloring. While fully consistent with a spider's physique, the animal has a characteristic wasp (or tiger) coloring: yellow and black stripes. If you look closely, they are interspersed with white lines, but from a distance the coloring completely matches that of wasps. The spider's legs are also ringed with contrasting stripes, creating a clear impression that they are wearing stockings. Clearly on the fourth stripe, if you count from the cephalothorax, there are two noticeable tubercles, and along the edges of the abdomen there are notches (always six, but colored differently: shades vary from inexpressively dark to bright orange).
The arrangement of the limbs of the wasp spider is also non-standard. Two pairs are oriented strictly forward, the remaining two are oriented strictly backward. Visually, there are no lateral supports, which is not typical for most arachnids, in which the legs are located perpendicular to the surface.
Argiope Brünnich cannot boast of impressive size. Males never exceed seven millimeters in “height” - most people will not notice them, especially since their coloring is rather dull. Females will be larger: they can reach 2.5 centimeters, distinguished by bright colors that are noticeable from afar.
Description and features
The history of the spider, thanks to traces in frozen amber, goes back about 300 million years. The name literally means “black worm,” which is explained by the main background color of the body and the ability to move quickly.
The body of poisonous spiders is spherical in shape. Sexual dimorphism is clearly pronounced. The female karakurt is much larger than the male, her body with a leg span in length is approximately 2.5 cm, males are much smaller - only 6-7 mm. Four pairs of limbs are located on both sides of the body. The two pairs of middle tarsi are covered with hairs. The first and last pairs stand out as the longest.
The male karakurt is much smaller than the female, and its bite is not so dangerous for humans
The color of spiders is distinguished by the presence of red or orange spots of different shapes. Sometimes a white border around each spot is added to the pattern on the body. The karakurt in the photo looks impressive, with such signs it is easy to distinguish it from related arthropods. When spiders reach sexual maturity, the bright markings on the body may disappear, but the rich black color with a characteristic shine remains.
Spiders acquire bright colors as they grow. Newborns are almost transparent. With each molt, the body becomes darker, and the whitish circles on the abdomen become saturated with red. The more often molting occurs, the faster the spider matures. The rate of development is influenced by the food supply of arthropods.
Rapid growth leads to the 6th or 7th molt, after which the males become more active in search not of food, but of females for procreation. A special feature of karakurts is blue blood. Color is determined not by hemoglobin, as in most animals, but by hemocyanin, which gives a rare shade. Spider eyes see well both during the day and at night.
Karakurt is known for its strong poison, which is produced by special glands. The main purpose of the weapon is to paralyze insects and small rodents as prey. The vacated holes of the animals are subsequently occupied by spiders.
The venom of a female spider can be fatal if medical attention is not provided immediately. First of all, people with severe allergic reactions are at risk of negative consequences. Males, due to their modest size, are unable to even bite through human skin.
The spider does not show aggression unless it is disturbed by random actions. Prudent tourists, before spending the night, install a special canopy tucked under the bed to prevent spiders from entering. Thus, the Crimean karakurt is quite common on the peninsula, where many outdoor recreationists are afraid of meeting an arthropod inhabitant.
The bite is not felt immediately; the effects of the toxins appear within 10-15 minutes. The main symptoms are a feeling of burning pain in the chest, lower back, and abdomen. Intoxication of the body causes spasms in the bronchi, vomiting, and shortness of breath. The highest concentration of poison occurs during the mating season of spiders. At other times they are less dangerous.
To protect against bites, a special serum is used, but emergency medical care is not always possible. Experts immediately burn the bite site with a match to destroy the poison that has not had time to enter the blood. The small depth of the bite, up to 0.5 mm, makes it possible to quickly stop the spread of toxins.
Of the animals, the most sensitive to the active substance of the poison are cattle, rodents, horses, and camels. Reptiles, dogs, and hedgehogs are less sensitive. Years of mass reproduction of karakurt lead to loss of livestock and losses in livestock farming.
The main habitats of the spider cover the desert zones of Kazakhstan, the Kalmyk steppes, and the southern regions of Russia. What karakurt looks like is well known in Altai, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and North Africa.
Karakurt can be found in many regions of Russia
How do these spiders live?
The range that the Argiope Brünnich spider has confidently mastered is quite wide. It includes many countries of Europe, the south (and, more recently, the middle zone) of Russia, Crimea, northern Africa, South Asian territories, Japan and China. These spiders settle in meadows, along the sides of even fairly busy roads, on forest edges, and in the beds of dry rivers. Argiope is a hunting spider; It does not hunt from ambush, but waits for prey in nets. The basis of its diet are grasshoppers, flies, fillies and wasps.
Kinds
Spiders are distinguished by varying degrees of toxicity, habitat, and appearance features. Among the most poisonous spotted spiders, or thirteen-spotted spiders, there are Asian and European species. The latter are known by a second name - European widows.
Karakurt black widow. The belonging of arthropods to the genus of black widows reflects the peculiarity of females to devour males immediately after mating. In this way, the spider is fueled with energy to create and protect a clutch of eggs. The black spherical body is covered with red spots, of which there are 13. What is seen as a mystical sign.
This species is best known for its toxicity and distribution in the steppe zones of warm regions. The spider is 15-20 times more poisonous than the black cobra. To combat dangerous arthropods, chemical treatment of animal grazing areas is carried out. Dal's Karakurt is a monochromatic black spider. Capable of interbreeding with the thirteen-spotted species, which sometimes makes identification of offspring difficult.
Red Widow. The color is distinguished by a red-orange coloring on the top and black underbelly. The habitat is located in the USA, the Florida Peninsula. The limited distribution area is the reason for insufficient information about the degree of toxicity of the species.
White karakurt. The name reflects the specificity of the light yellowish color. Unlike its relatives, there are no spots, dots, or patterns. For a monochromatic spider, only the shades of color change. The limbs and cephalothorax are somewhat darker than the body.
On the back there are four dark dots, indentations forming a rectangle. The toxicity of the white karakurt is inferior to the black spider in the concentration of toxins. White spiders live in Central Asia, in the south of Russia. Females of this species are the largest among the karakurts; there are individuals up to 10 cm in limb span.
For its peculiar manner of movement with the characteristic tapping of its legs, the white karakurt is called a dancing spider. Those with perfect pitch transmit information to each other in this way. Spiders prefer to live in deserts, so in natural conditions, encounters with humans are extremely rare.
White spiders are most adapted to cold weather, so they are found in regions where it is already difficult for their black counterparts to survive, for example, in western Kazakhstan.
White karakurt is a very poisonous spider
The territory of Eurasia is inhabited by spiders that are very similar in appearance and shape to the poisonous karakurt - spiders from the genus Steatodes, or false widows.
The difference in color is white, beige, red spots, a thin yellow line on the back, and a red line along the abdomen. Red markings and the size of the false karakurt are the cause of confusion.
But steatodes are not so poisonous, although the symptoms of the poison have much in common with true representatives. After a false widow bite, the body recovers on its own after a few days.
Steatoda spiders are very similar in appearance to karakurt spiders
Skilled braiders
Like all web spiders, Argiope Brünnich prepares traps stretched between blades of grass and low branches of bushes. The networks of this species of arachnids are circular, in the center they have a zigzag-like pattern, characteristic of the weaving of all brothers in the genus Argiope and called stabilimentum. Despite the small size of the hunter, his traps are very durable, capable of holding a grasshopper, which is 2-3 times larger than the predator. Argiope Brünnich spends only an hour creating nets that are woven at sunset, in the approaching twilight.
What types of spiders are there?
Arthropods have occupied almost all levels of living space on the planet. They can be found in burrows, on the ground, on bushes, and in trees of any height. The only thing they haven't mastered is air. And that’s conditional. Some species spread on webs that they release in windy weather. A spider on a web flying in the wind is able to cover enormous distances.
Unofficially, spiders can be divided into groups:
- burrows;
- ground;
- under-bush;
- woody
The familiar round web in the shape of a “target” belongs to tree spiders. Burrows use cobwebs to secure the ground so that their home does not collapse. Terrestrials “spread” webs along the ground, weaving pieces of soil into it. They use their web as a signaling system. Sub-bush species live at the base of bushes and weave webs in the form of a hut, which is camouflaged with branches and soil.
Interesting!
The silverback spider is the only species that lives in water.
Spider Hunting Rules
For an argiope waiting for prey, it is not enough to simply weave a net. The owner of the trap sits in its center, in that very zigzag segment, and waits for the victim, holding a skein of created threads in his limbs. When the prey is caught, the hunter entangles it in a web and bites it. The insect dies from the poison; at the same time, it begins to be partially digested, while not yet in the spider’s mandibles.
Distribution of karakurt
Hot countries - Central Asia, Ukraine, Caucasus. The density of its settlement largely depends on the regional weather conditions of the past year, wintering conditions, and the number of natural enemies.
The habitats of spiders are diverse: mouse holes, cracks in adobe walls, wormwood steppes, salt marshes, wastelands - both on virgin lands and on arable lands. They even settle in inhabited courtyard buildings.
Karakurts do not live in deserts, as well as very humid places, in dense grasses and bushes.
Sad breeding
Spiders of the species Argiope Brünnich deal with the issue of leaving offspring during the molting period, when the female has already shed the previous chitin, but has not yet acquired new ones. After the male has done his job, the female in the vast majority of cases eats him. Sometimes the “brave fellow” manages to impregnate the second lady, but, according to scientists, not a single one lived to see the third approach. There is a theory that the cannibalism of spiders is caused by a lack of protein necessary for the development of heirs. However, you shouldn’t sympathize too much with their “men”: the female Argiope does not survive her “husband” for long. After creating cocoons and laying eggs in them (up to 400 eggs in each “little jar”), the wasp spider dies. The offspring spend the winter in the houses she created, and in the spring they emerge from them completely independently.
MODERATELY DANGEROUS
Some people confuse Eresus with the deadly South American black widow, which it also bears some resemblance to. Fortunately, the fathead's venom is not fatal to humans, although it can kill the small mammal in seconds. However, a spider bite can cause very severe pain, followed by numbness and swelling. For some, pain and stiffness in movements in the bitten part of the body go away only after a week.
The mechanism of action of eresus venom has not yet been fully studied. It is known to have the properties of a muscle relaxant - it relaxes muscles. The venoms of many spiders are already used in pharmacology. Perhaps someday fatheads will also serve medicine.
Argiope Brünnich spider: poisonous or not?
The question of the potential danger of the entire crawling brethren worries people in the first place. Argiope Brünnich did not escape a similar fate. Whether this species of spider is poisonous or not is incorrect to ask. Strictly speaking, all arachnids are poisonous; another thing is that not all representatives of the species are able to bite through the skin enough for their poison to reach at least the capillaries. So, even without conducting laboratory tests, we can say with confidence that Argiope Brünnich is a poisonous insect. In the end, it is with poison that she “pacifies” her victims. And it is fatal to insects. Another thing is the person. Its dimensions are not comparable to those of Argiope Brünnich. The bite of this spider is therefore relatively harmless to humans. It can be compared to being stung by a wasp (the spider lives up to its middle name). The sensation is quite painful, and swelling and itching may subsequently occur, but an argiope bite does not pose any danger. Only an allergic person can suffer from it. But the same troubles will be brought to him by the bite of any insect, even a mosquito.
Karakurt poison
The poisonous glands located in the cephalothorax are connected by thin ducts to the movable sharp claws of the upper jaws. The glands are enveloped in a muscular sheath. Due to the sharp contraction of these muscles, the victim receives a dose of poison instantly.
According to the biochemical structure, karakurt poison belongs to toxalbumin, spreads through the lymphatic tract, is neurotoxic and contains six bioactive fractions. The sensitivity of warm-blooded animals to karakurt poison varies.
The bite of the karakurt is very dangerous for horses and camels, which die right on the pastures. Sheep, goats and pigs are not sensitive to this poison and can eat an adult karakurt without any consequences. Karakurt venom is 15 times more toxic than rattlesnake venom.
People (especially residents of the steppes) are well aware of the danger of karakurt. To reduce the likelihood of contact with it in its habitat, shepherds have long driven, driven and grazed flocks of sheep in the steppe that are not sensitive to karakurt poison, and also practiced seasonal burning of the steppe so that young spiders would die in cocoons.
Danger of the cross for humans
The bite of a spider with a cross is no more dangerous for a person than if he were stung by a bee. Feels like an instant sharp prick. A swelling appears at the site of the bite, a small white spot appears in the puncture area, the skin around it turns red and itches. The body is freed from toxins within 24 hours.
More severe symptoms are experienced by people who suffer from an allergic reaction to insect bites. They may experience:
- headache;
- weakness and aching joints;
- chills;
- temperature increase;
- swelling, including mucous membranes;
- burning, tingling of the bite site;
- thickening of the skin in the affected area.
Note! Most often, the spider bites a person when he picks it up or the arthropod accidentally gets under his clothing. There have been cases when a spider climbed into a tent through an open window.
First aid for a bite
To minimize the consequences of a spider bite with a cross on the back, do not neglect first aid. It should be remembered that along with the poison, an infection can get into the wound, which will cause no less harm, and maybe even more, than the toxin itself. What should you do first?
- Wash the bite area thoroughly with cold running water and soap.
- If the swelling is severe, apply a cold compress, or you can use ice for a short time.
- Take an antihistamine, for example, suprastin, loratadine, zodac.
- After some time, an ointment that relieves itching and swelling (fenistil, sinaflan) can be applied to the affected area.
If a child is bitten by a spider, do not wait for a reaction to the poison to appear; consult a doctor immediately.
Lifestyle
A night hunter, a predator, a hermit, a tireless worker - these are, perhaps, the most significant characteristics of the character and lifestyle of the cross.
Potential victims are small insects, which our hero catches with the help of a wheel-shaped web placed almost vertically. It's very sticky. Flies, mosquitoes, and aphids, once caught in the net, stick tightly, and when trying to get out, they become even more entangled.
Every night the spider works - inspecting the webs, weaving new ones. If someone too large, for example, a bumblebee, gets caught in the net, the crossbird prefers not to get involved and breaks off the web.
Interesting! When it comes to weaving catching nets, the cross spider is a virtuoso. This “talent” is inherent in him at the genetic level. And no matter how many networks are compared, they are all made according to the same principle. Exactly 39 thick threads-radii diverge from the center; 35 turns of sticky web are attached to them in a circle. Accordingly, there are always 1245 attachment points. Such spider arithmetic!
Features of spider hunting
A spider with a white cross on its back hunts from ambush. It does not sit on the web, but hides in a special shelter, usually among dense foliage. To the lair from which the crossman is watching. The slightest vibration of the thread - the hunter is right there.
The spider holds the entangled insect with its jaws. To immobilize the victim, it pierces the chitinous cover with sharp chelicerae and injects poison. After this, it swaddles the prey with a bunch of cobwebs. In addition to poison, the spider injects a digestive enzyme into it, which literally digests the insides. The fact is that the spider’s digestive system is capable of absorbing ready-made nutrients, and the digestion process itself occurs remotely, essentially inside the victim’s body.
After some time, the cross spider again approaches the prey to feast on lunch.
Interesting! This is a rather voracious arthropod. Every day the cross eats up to a dozen insects, and can catch several hundred! If there is a lot of prey, it leaves it in reserve. In this case, the victim is only paralyzed and wrapped in a cocoon, digested as necessary.
The basic Instinct
The mating season begins towards the end of summer. Female crossworts behave like real “black widows” - after fertilization they eat their partner. In autumn, the female lays eggs (about 300 pieces), around which she weaves a dense cocoon of soft web. She carries it on herself for some time, then hides it in a secluded place, attaching it to some surface. After which he dies.
Juvenile spiders appear in the spring of the following year, but reach sexual maturity only after wintering, the following summer.
Interesting! The web is not only a hunting device, but also a means of transportation for spiders. The arthropod throws out a light thread and it is carried by the wind. In this way they cover a distance of up to 400 km.
Spiders of central Russia
Arthropods live here, their habitat extending from Central Europe to Murmansk. The most common spiders in central Russia are Heiracanthium and Silverwort.
Heiracanthium is found in the Moscow region, Southern Siberia and the Volga region. This is a rather poisonous species that lives far from human habitations, and therefore cases of its bites are rare.
The silverfish is one of the few species of arachnids in which the size of the male exceeds the size of the female and can reach 1.5 cm. The spider settles in water bodies.
Its body is covered with a special secretion, which, when immersed under water, allows it to retain air on the animal’s body. Because of the air gap, the diving spider appears silver. The arthropod feeds on fish fry.
Thus, spiders quite easily adapt to any living conditions, and therefore they can be found everywhere throughout Russia.
The most dangerous species in Russia is the karakurt. Spider bites rarely cause death, but they are dangerous not only because of the toxicity of the venom, but also because of a possible allergic reaction. This is why a bite from even a harmless and non-toxic spider can have serious consequences.
Main families in the country
The territory of our country includes a variety of climatic zones and natural conditions in which many representatives of arachnids exist. Spiders in Russia impress with their features and amazing life, they frighten with their appearance and help people. Many of them are rare and are listed in the Red Book.
Wolves
The Latin name - Licisidae, is a representative of a vast species, numbering more than two thousand species. It has a gray, brown or brown color, an average body size of 3 cm, and has a “standard” structure. The wolf spider has no blood; it is replaced by hemolymph, a nutritious fluid that circulates in the body. In case of injury, the hemolymph flowing from the wound acquires a blue tint.
Licisidae is a dangerous predator and an assistant to amateur gardeners in the fight against harmful insects. Its diet consists of flies, midges and insect larvae. Representatives of this species are very cunning; in the event of a threat that they cannot cope with, they prefer to pretend to be dead. The spider falls belly up and lies in this position until the threat passes. They are semi-venomous spiders whose bite does not cause harm to health.
Hunters
Latin name: Heteropoda, family Sparassidae. You definitely can’t call a hunter’s spider a standard one. It has an amygdala-shaped body, 2 to 4 cm long, and very long legs, the length of which can exceed the length of the body up to four times. The longest legs are the front ones. Color varies from mustard to red-brown. The hunter is active at night and hides in dry branches, hollows and tree bark during the day. The maximum lifespan is three years, during which time Heteropoda is able to molt up to 12-15 times. The molting period is easily determined visually: the paws become very dark.
Funnel
The Latin name is Agelenidae, there are more than 1000 species. The funnel spider got its name because of its special web, which it weaves in the shape of a funnel or pipe. It serves as a reliable shelter and trap for other insects. Every three to four weeks the spider changes its location and builds a new labyrinth. An adult male grows up to 2 cm, females are slightly larger. The color is mainly brown or black. Agelenidae live in grass. They can be easily distinguished from other species by their characteristic, swaying mode of movement. Spider venom is harmless to humans.
Horses
The Latin name is Salticidae, there are about 6000 species. They are quite fluffy representatives of arachnids. Males and females differ in color: the main color of the female is gray or orange, the male is black. Each individual has a characteristic pattern in the form of spots and stripes. The jumping spider is an active daytime hunter. He does not wait, but acts: when he sees potential prey, he jumps and grabs it. The web is used to construct protective nests for eggs and as insurance during a jump. Because of its ability to jump, it is called a jumper and a grasshopper. This species is absolutely harmless and does not even bite on contact.
Cibeids
The Latin name is Argeroneta aquatica - silver spider. The only species of spider that can live underwater. Their peculiarity is the construction of underwater houses - tents, the dome of which they fill with air. Special hairs on the body allow you to form an air sphere and carry it with you under water. Among the representatives of this species of arachnids, equality reigns: females do not eat males. Silverfish overwinter under thick ice, in their houses or empty shells.
Diggers
The Latin name is Atypus affinis, a family of digger spiders. It grows up to 2 mm, has a dark, “earthy” color. The mole rat got its name because of the characteristic feature of the same name. The spider breaks a hole in the ground, up to 40 cm long, covers it with cobwebs, bringing the weaving out. Thus, a tube of web is obtained, the end of which is sealed, and the spider itself is inside and awaits the victim. If the hunt is successful, the web tube breaks through and the victim is carried inside. Afterwards the hole is “patched”, and the spider again takes a wait-and-see position.
Black widows
Latin name - Latrodectus mactans - black widow. The name of this species has become a household name due to the characteristic behavior of the females. The spider lives its entire life in the same web, which it impregnates with pheromones to attract suitors. Partners do not keep you waiting. The very first male to enter the territory of a dangerous female begins to “punch” her web to remove the smell of pheromones in order to avoid competition.
If the black widow does not like the groom or is hungry at the time of the meeting, the female immediately eats the potential partner. If contact is established, then the moment of eating is postponed only until mating. The body diameter of females is 1 cm, males are half as large. The legs of a dangerous spider are five times longer than the body. The color is black, glossy, and there is a “mark” in the form of a red spot on the abdomen.
They live mainly in the south. For example, in the Astrakhan region or Krasnodar region.
The black widow is considered one of the most dangerous spiders in the world. Aggressive females helped the species earn this reputation. In case of the slightest provocation and aggression, a lightning attack and a poisonous bite follows. Black widow venom contains a powerful neurotoxin. It causes respiratory arrest, severe joint and muscle pain, and cramps. Scientists have found that the concentration of neurotoxin in black widow venom is 15 times higher than that of a rattlesnake.
If you are bitten, you should immediately go to the hospital. The issue of providing timely assistance is a matter of life and death.
Steatodes
Latin name: Steatoda grossa. The spider is characterized by sexual differences: females reach 1-1.2 mm in length, while males are half as much. The color is dark brown and black. There are oval spots on the chest, pink-red in females and white in males.
Steatodes' favorite habitats are forests and bushes; they often coexist with villagers. Their love for “tree” shelters pushes them to be close to people. The crevices of wooden private houses and fences provide excellent shelter, and garden plots are the best place for hunting.
The web of the steatode is distinguished by its horizontal arrangement and large size, which reaches 1.5 meters. A spider bite is not fatal, but can be very harmful: it causes fever and temporary paralysis. Spiders are not aggressive, but you shouldn’t irritate them too much.
Knitting spiders
Latin name: Tetragratha. Individuals are predominantly gray in color, with a brown stripe on the abdomen, and differ from their counterparts in their elongated body structure, similar to that of an ant. The knitter's thin body carries long legs that can be folded in half. The body length of an adult female varies from 7 to 12 mm, of a male – 6-8 mm. The length of the limbs exceeds the length of the body three times.
The habitat is the area near water bodies and the sea coast. The knitter's web is directed vertically and is aimed at catching flying insects: flies, mosquitoes and midges. Representatives of this genus are absolutely harmless to humans. There are known cases of mass invasion of the species, as a result of which coastal and agricultural areas were covered with webs.
Orb weavers
Latin name – Araneidae. One of the largest families of arachnids, includes more than 3,000 species. The size of an adult spider reaches 8 mm, it is brown in color and has a striped pattern on its abdomen. Orb weavers are distinguished by a rounded abdomen and dark color at the end of the legs. Despite its small size, the hardworking orb weaver is capable of weaving a web with a diameter of up to two meters. The most famous representative of the species is the cross spider. The bite of such a spider causes only pain, similar to a bee sting.
The benefits of crosses
A spider with a cross on its back benefits a person.
- It eats a huge number of insects, many of which harm the garden.
- In folk medicine, spider webs are used. It is a powerful antibacterial agent, which is used in field conditions to disinfect and heal wounds.
- The sticky web is capable of trapping the smallest microparticles. Scientists use this property to analyze the composition of the air in a particular area.
- Residents of the tropics rely on the strength of the spider thread - they weave nets and fishing nets from it.
Range and habitats
Crossworts are found throughout the globe in temperate or tropical climates. Some species of such arthropods live in Europe, Asia, Africa, and also in North America. In their first year, spiders overwinter in the egg stage.
The habitat of the cross spider is damp, low-lying places, in the vicinity of which there are bodies of water. They also like forests, parks or gardens, where it is convenient to weave catching nets between the branches.
Sometimes a round web of crosses is found in window and door openings, as well as under the roofs of abandoned buildings.
Life cycle
During the mating period, males, using the stridulation apparatus (stridulithrome), produce a sound reminiscent of a slight rustle. The frequency of sounds is 1000 Hz.
There is an assumption by arachnologists that the effect on females occurs not only through sound, but also through the release of special chemicals - pheromones. Pheromones enter the web and are sensed by the female. When the web was pre-treated with ether, complete indifference to musical advances was observed.
Males make special sounds in front of females, and also to scare away rivals. Females respond by clapping their forelimbs and nibbling on the web. Females experience trembling all over their body if she is ready to mate, and she goes to meet her gentleman.
After mating, the females spin a cocoon and lay eggs. The cocoon is attached to the edge on the web. During the incubation period, she protects her eggs from predators. After a month, the spiders hatch. They do not have a tendency towards cannibalism. There are 50 individuals in one cocoon.
The newly hatched spiderlings are with their mother for the first time. Growing up, they become independent and leave her.