Dwarf spider
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Dwarf spiders are sheet weavers in the subfamily Erigoninae. They are the most numerous of the sheet weavers, with more than 2,000 described species.
They are very small (some less than 1 mm) spiders. They balloon both as spiderlings and adults. Some males have bizarre projections on their carapaces. The function of these projections is little understood, but is presumed to be involved with courtship. These spiders probably are more important as members of the beneficial complex of predators in agroecosystems than is generally known. One species, Atypena formosana lives in colonies in wetland habitats. They build nets just above the water line in rice fields to hunt planthopper nymphs.
The most well-known genus is Erigone.
