European garden spider
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| Image:Araneus diadematus.jpg European garden spider in web
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| Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757 |
The European garden spider (Araneus diadematus, cross spider) is a very common and well-known orb-weaver spider in Western Europe. Araneus diadematus also lives in parts of North America, in a range extending from New England and the Southeast to the Northwestern United States and adjacent parts of Canada.
Individual spiders' colouring can range from extremely light yellow to very dark gray, but all European garden spiders have mottled markings across the back with five or more large white dots forming a cross. The white dots result from cells that are filled with guanine, which is a byproduct of protein metabolism.[1]
Garden spiders have been known to stridulate when threatened.
It is hard to provoke a garden spider to bite - if it does, the bite is slightly unpleasant, though utterly harmless to humans.
Contents |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Foelix, R.F. (1992). Biologie der Spinnen. Thieme (German)
[edit] External links
- Araneaus diadematus at Nick's Spiders of Britain and Europe
- European Garden Spider at Hans and Hania's Garden Safari
- European orb weavers at Spiders of NW-Europe
- World Spider Catalog
[edit] Gallery
Araneus diadematus 1 Luc Viatour.jpg
European garden spider |
Araneaus diadematus.jpg
Picture of a young male European garden spider wrapping up a common flesh fly |
Araneus diadematus underside 2.jpg
An underside view of spider while spinning its web. |
Araneus diadematus.side01.jpg
side view of scared, Polish garden spider, in its late summer outfit. |
Moulted orb weaver spider.JPG
Moulted garden spider |
Garden Spider with Wasp.jpg
A garden spider with a wasp |
Araneus diadematus.JPG
Araneus diadematus in the centre of its dew-enshrouded web in Northern Maine. |
Araneus diadematus 2005-08-18 03.jpg
As found in Germany |
Kreuzspinne.jpg
European garden spider wrapping up a wasp |
Garden spider.png
Underside view, found in Newfoundland |
Araneus diadematus garden spider.jpg
A British Araneus Diadematus |
Araneus diadematus3.jpg
Underside, found in California. |
da:Korsedderkop de:Gartenkreuzspinne fr:Épeire diadème gl:Araña de xardín is:Krosskónguló it:Araneus diadematus nl:Kruisspin pl:Krzyżak ogrodowy fi:Ristihämähäkki sv:Korsspindel
