Webs: Diversity, Structure and Function

Blamires, Sean J.; Zhang, Shichang; Tso, I‐Min

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-65717-2_6

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 155 publications

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“…All known deinopid webs are bilaterally symmetric, modified orbs (Coddington 1986a) with three radii on each side where the SS spiral is made. This web pattern and the SS spiral launch behavior to capture prey are unique to the Deinopidae (e.g., Ackerman 1926; Robinson & Robinson 1971; Coddington & Sobrevila 1987; Blamires et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The construction of webs is a successful foraging innovation among spiders (Blamires et al 2017), and Brazil alone has arguably the world's greatest web-building spider diversity, containing 112 known families of Araneomorphs (World Spider Catalog 2020). The architecture of the webs varies widely among the species, from the classical orbicular webs (Foelix 2011; Santos & Gonzaga 2017; Eberhard 2020), which can be oriented vertically or horizontally relative to the ground, to sheet webs consisting of a three-dimensional mesh with ascending adhesive lines that support the web and capture prey (Benjamin & Zschokke 2002; Harwood & Obrycki 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The architecture of the webs varies widely among the species, from the classical orbicular webs (Foelix 2011; Santos & Gonzaga 2017; Eberhard 2020), which can be oriented vertically or horizontally relative to the ground, to sheet webs consisting of a three-dimensional mesh with ascending adhesive lines that support the web and capture prey (Benjamin & Zschokke 2002; Harwood & Obrycki 2005). Although spider webs have the primary function of capturing prey, they can perform other functions, including acting as a sensory system, as a space for mating, and even as a barrier against potential predators (Blamires et al 2017). Despite their abundance in the environment, little is known about the ecological and structural importance of spider webs in ecosystems.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Web construction behavior of Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Deinopidae: Araneae) and its comparison to webs of other Deinopidae

Ponte

Stefani

Villanueva-Bonilla

et al. 2023

The Journal of Arachnology

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Deinopid spiders use highly specialized webs composed of a triangular non-sticky scaffolding (NS scaffolding) containing three radii and a modified orbicular web with a rectangular shape to capture prey. Spiders actively manipulate their webs to capture prey. We describe the web construction behavior of Deinopis cf. cylindracea and compare it and the shape of the sticky silk spiral (SS spiral) of other deinopid species using images in the literature and on the Internet. The web-building behavior in D. cf. cylindracea follows the pattern previously described for other species of Deinopis MacLeay, 1839. Web construction takes approximately 15 min in D. cf. cylindracea and has two stages: NS scaffolding construction and SS spiral construction. The final structure of the SS spiral has four closely spaced capture cords, five placed further apart, three near the top of the web, and two cords on the handles, making a total of 12. Other species of Deinopis have different numbers of cords. Finally, a novel finding is that the youngest spiders do not make webs with sticky lines, but instead use a simplified web to lunge forward, using only their legs to contact prey. To our knowledge, such behavior has never been described in this or any other group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Web construction behavior of Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Deinopidae: Araneae) and its comparison to webs of other Deinopidae

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Stefani

Villanueva-Bonilla

et al. 2023

The Journal of Arachnology

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“…Basic tasks such as foraging, seeking mates and avoiding predators are often mediated visually [1,2], and the utility of light as a mode of information exchange has driven the evolution of optical innovations for manipulating it. A diverse range of spiders has evolved the construction and the use of webs for prey capture in parallel with the evolution of silks and other elements of the webs [3][4][5]. The mechanical structure and properties of many of the silks are well characterized but the aerial nature of some of the orb webs has allowed spiders to exploit ecological niches in well-lit, free space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoreflectance/scattering measurements of spider silks informed by standard optics

et al. 2020

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The silks of certain orb weaving spiders are emerging as high-quality optical materials. This motivates study of the optical properties of such silk and particularly the comparative optical properties of the silks of different species. Any differences in optical properties may impart biological advantage for a spider species and make the silks interesting for biomimetic prospecting as optical materials. A prior study of the reflectance of spider silks from 18 species reported results for three species of modern orb weaving spiders ( Nephila clavipes, Argiope argentata and Micrathena Schreibersi ) as having reduced reflectance in the UV range. (Modern in the context used here means more recently derived.) The reduced UV reflectance was interpreted as an adaptive advantage in making the silks less visible to insects. Herein, a standard, experimental technique for measuring the reflectance spectrum of diffuse surfaces, using commercially available equipment, has been applied to samples of the silks of four modern species of orb weaving spiders: Phonognatha graeffei , Eriophora transmarina , Nephila plumipes and Argiope keyserlingi . This is a different technique than used in the previous study. Three of the four silks measured have a reduced signal in the UV. By taking the form of the silks as optical elements into account, it is shown that this is attributable to a combination of wavelength-dependent absorption and scattering by the silks rather than differences in reflectance for the different silks. Phonognatha graeffei dragline silk emerges as a very interesting spider silk with a flat ‘reflectance'/scattering spectrum which may indicate it is a low UV absorbing dielectric micro-fibre. Overall the measurement emerges as having the potential to compare the large numbers of silks from different species to prospect for those which have desirable optical properties.

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“…Spiders of the family Deinopidae are commonly called ''ogre-faced'' spiders. They are also known for producing cribellate capture threads and having a unique prey-capturing strategy (net-casting behavior) (Blamires et al 2017). Currently, the family Deinopidae comprises 67 described species in only three genera.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Egg sac construction and camouflage behaviors of Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Araneae: Deinopidae)

Ponte

Stefani

Villanueva-Bonilla

et al. 2021

The Journal of Arachnology

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Webs: Diversity, Structure and Function

Cited by 19 publications

References 155 publications

Web construction behavior of Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Deinopidae: Araneae) and its comparison to webs of other Deinopidae

Web construction behavior of Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Deinopidae: Araneae) and its comparison to webs of other Deinopidae

Photoreflectance/scattering measurements of spider silks informed by standard optics

Egg sac construction and camouflage behaviors of Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Araneae: Deinopidae)

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