Tuesday 1 April 2014

Black Lace-Weaver wanderer


 In springtime male Black Lace weaver spiders roam in search of females. This one was dangerously walking on the pavement this morning, cold and wet from the night's rain. I took some quick shots and took him home for a white background session. The male palps look like they are holding white balls, these are the characteristically white and very visible palpar organs in this species.
 Black-lace weaver females (Amaurobius ferox), as their smaller relatives Amaurobius similis, have remarkable maternal behaviours, including guarding the spiderlings, feeding them using unfertilised eggs and then finally, encouraging them to eat their own bodies (matriphagy). For a fantastic video documenting this spider's maternal behaviour see this Arkive entry.
 More info in the British Arachnological Society page.



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