Phonognatha graeffei
| Phonognatha graeffei | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Phonognatha |
| Species: |
Phonognatha graeffei Keyserling, 1865 (Australia) |
Phonognatha graeffei, referred to as the Leaf curling spider, is a common Australian spider found in woodlands and urban areas in the north-eastern, eastern and southern states. A small member of the Araneidae family, the orb-weavers, it was previously placed in Tetragnathidae.
The spider is distinguished by having a curled leaf at the centre of its web, in which it shelters. The species form pairs living together in the same leaf, though at opposite ends of their shelter, even before mating at maturity. The female creates a separate curled leaf "nursery" hung in foliage nearby.
The body length of the male is 5 to 6mm and female 8 to 12mm. Males and females look very similar with red-brown legs and body and a cream coloured pattern on their backs. Their bodies are fat and oval shaped with long tapered legs.
The web, with its shelter at the centre, is easily identifiable. The leaf curling spider cleverly weaves a leaf or other object into the centre of its web as a hide-away from birds and other predators. Leaves are twisted along their length to form a funnel, (sometimes with a silk wall on one side, if necessary) that the spider can retreat into. They have also been known to use old snail shells and discarded pieces of paper. Although often found clustered in the same area, each spider has its own web.
The leaf curling spider's web is about 30cm in diameter. It is an incomplete circle, being open at the top and fanning downwards. The spider uses supporting threads attached to a shrub to suspend its curled-up dry leaf, with the fan-like main web radiating out from the leaf in which the spider hides, with only the tips of its legs visible, feeling for the vibrations of insects colliding with the web. It only goes outside its shelter if prey becomes stuck in the web, or if the web need repair. The spider usually rebuilds its web at night.
The leaf-curling spiders are day-active orb weavers, protecting themselves from predators by sitting inside their silk-seamed, curled leaf. In P. graeffei this leaf is suspended just above the centre of the web, but may be placed higher in other species. Such leaves may be already part curled though many are not, and the spider pulls and silks its leaf into a retreat cylinder, silked shut at the top and open at the hub. Like other web-weaving spiders, their main food source is flying insects including insects larger than itself.
They are noted for their sexual cohabitation and its function in mate-guarding behaviour. This means that the male and female live together in the same curled leaf, occupying opposite ends of the retreat, with the female at the open end.
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Wikipedia