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Home / Nature - Animals / Invertebrates / Invertebrates - Autumn / Invertebrates - September / Orb Weaver (Metellina Segmentata or Metellina mengei)
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Orb Weaver (Metellina Segmentata or Metellina mengei)

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Metellina segmentata is a spider in the Tetragnathidae family. Adults can be found from August to October in open habitats (edges of a wood, or gardens) and are amongst the most frequent orb-weaving spiders. The web has no threads at its center, similar to most tetragnathid spiders. Most webs are … [Read more]built low above the ground. The spider sits at the center during the day most of the time. During the mating season in September several males wait for prey in the web of a female. When an insect gets caught, they all run for it. The first will wrap it up and then present it to the female, while it will give signals by plucking the threads of the female's web. The yellow eggs are deposited on a twig or on bark in a spherical white cocoon. It is very similar to the slightly smaller Metellina mengei, and the two can only be discerned by comparing genital features. (Information Wikipedia) Picture taken 6th September 2011 at Femlersham, Bedfordshire.

Added:
8th Oct 2011 by Diane Earl

Subjects:
Biology, Environmental Science

Key Stages:
Foundation, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, Key Stage 4+

Geocode: Felmersham

Keywords:
spider arachnid invertebrate

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