Dwarf ball spider
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Dwarf ball spider ( Paidiscura pallens ), female with an egg cocoon |
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| Paidiscura pallens | ||||||||||||
| ( Blackwall , 1834) |
The dwarf ball spider ( Paidiscura pallens ) or pale ball spider is a web spider from the family of the canopy web spiders (Theridiidae).
features
The dwarf ball spider reaches a body length of 1.6 to 1.7 millimeters, making it one of the smallest spiders in Europe. However, despite its small size, it can hardly be confused with any other species. The abdomen is extremely spherical and pale yellow in color. Some specimens appear quite dark as a result of this speckle, in particular many males appear almost monochrome yellowish.
Occurrence
The dwarf ball spider is particularly widespread at the edges of the forest under oak leaves, but it also occurs in spruce forests.
Way of life
The dwarf ball spider, which one could easily confuse with a young spider, builds its irregular, wide-meshed web preferably on the underside of oak leaves. The prey that is caught in it is usually much larger than the spider itself. From the end of June you can discover the characteristic, snow-white egg cocoons in the nets of the females, with a diameter of 2 millimeters they are significantly larger than the spider itself. The cocoon moves into several points and a long tip, which can be longer than the rest of the cocoon. This distinctive structure makes it easy to distinguish from cocoons of other species.
Individual evidence
- ^ S. Buchholz, V. Hartmann & M. Kreuels: Red list and species directory of the web spiders - Araneae - in North Rhine-Westphalia. ( Memento of the original from May 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 100 kB) State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection North Rhine-Westphalia, 3rd version, as of August 2010, p. 16
- ↑ a b Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos spider guide. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 1st edition, 2010, p. 78
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : The cosmos spider guide. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 1st edition, 2010, p. 78 ISBN 978-3-440-10114-8
Web links
Dwarf ball spider in the World Spider Catalog
- Paidiscura pallens at Fauna Europaea