Sector spider
| Sector spider | ||||||||||||
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Zygiella x-notata (female) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Zygiella x-notata | ||||||||||||
| ( Clerck , 1757) |
The sector spider or sector spider ( Zygiella x-notata ) is a web spider of the family of real orb web spiders (Araneidae).
features
The sector spider has a body length of 5 to 11 mm. Their yellow-brown bodies have a leaf-like markings on their abdomen ( opisthosoma ).
Occurrence
The sector spider is widespread throughout Central Europe , becoming rarer towards the east.
The sector spider often builds its web on window frames, inside and outside of buildings, but also on house walls, in niches, bars or angles, in wood stacks and on old trees. Because it needs warmth, it is often found in human settlements, e.g. B. to find outside lighting. The females are among the few orb-web spiders that build nets almost all year round.
Adult sector spiders can be discovered from midsummer to late autumn. In the southern warmer areas they are active all year round and live there less protected, e.g. B. in bushes.
Network construction
The adult sector spider builds a bicycle network , which differs from the other two of orb-web spiders by spiral threads free, contiguous sectors is different in one of the two upper corners. Only a strong, silk signal thread runs in the middle between the two sectors from the center of the net to the outside. In this corner, its hiding place, the sector spider waits until the signal thread signals that prey has entered the web. In the evenings and at night, however, like most orb web spiders, it sits in the center of the web. The network is renewed in the morning hours. This type of web allows the sector spider to attach it to very flat surfaces.
A medium-sized net contains about 25 to 30 spoke threads. Sometimes it happens that sector spiders build webs with complete spiral threads. This is mostly the case with young spiders, but also with adults when the angle between the signal and spoke threads becomes too large.
nutrition
If the spider senses that a prey has flown into its web through vibrations of the signal thread, it quickly leaves its hiding place and initially comes along the signal thread to the center of its web in order to orient itself there. Then it quickly approaches the prey, touches it and initially bites it, usually in the thorax area. Only when the escape movements of the prey become weaker does it wrap it in spider silk and drag it secured on a thread and held in its hiding place with one leg (the 4th pair of legs). If the web is shaken too much, the spider will flee into its hiding place or fall down securely on a thread.
Reproduction
From midsummer to late autumn, females and males can often be seen together in a web cave. The better the male builds his nets, the more willing the female is to mate. To mate, the male tugs and drums a mating thread that is attached to the female's net. The eggs laid by the female overwinter in a spun cocoon. Many females survive into winter, but only the cocoon survives the winter. The young spiders hatch in spring.
literature
- Louis Le Guelte: Structure de la toile de Zygiella x-notata Cl. 1966.
- Herbert Walter Levi: The orb-weaver genus Zygiella (Araneae, Araneidae). in vol. 146: 5 Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Cambridge 1974. ISSN 0027-4100
- Monika Weissmann: Web-building and prey-capture in two orb-weavers. 1987.
