Araniella cucurbitina

Araniella cucurbitina
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Araniella
Species: A. cucurbitina
Binomial name
Araniella cucurbitina
(Clerck, 1757)
Synonyms
  • Araneus cucurbitinus
  • Aranea cucurbitina
  • Aranea frischii
  • Aranea octopunctata
  • Aranea viridis-punctata
  • Aranea depressa
  • Epeira cucurbitina
  • Miranda cucurbitina
  • Araneus cossoni

Araniella cucurbitina, sometimes called the "cucumber green spider", is a spider of the family Araneidae. Females grow up to 6 millimetres (0.24 in), males only up to 4 mm (0.16 in).[1] The spider is mainly found on forest clearings, where it weaves its orb-web between leaves and flowers. These webs are only about 100 mm (3.9 in) in diameter.

This spider does not use a hideout, because it is camouflaged by its green colour. Adult spiders first show this colour in spring. Freshly hatched spiderlings are red, and change to brown before the autumn. On the end of the abdomen there is a red mark in adults.[1]

This species occurs in the Palaearctic, although it can be found in parts of North America, where it was probably introduced.

Araniella opisthographa is an almost identical spider which can only be distinguished from A. cucurbitina by a microscopic investigation.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Dick Jones (1983). The Country Life Guide to Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe. Country Life Books. p. 258. ISBN 0-600-35614-0.
  2. ↑ The Garden Safari/Cucumber spiders
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