Spider Biology/Ecology
A barn spider's scientific name is Araneus Cavaticus, there are a few other species of what people call barn spiders. However they are not the specific species that E.B. White is referring to. Under spider classification they are commonly referred as Orb weaving spiders due to the types of webs that they create. The following scientific names are more specific names that related more to the region they are found in because their are differences between them all, however they are all classified as Araneus Cavaticus:
These species of Orb weaving spiders are all typically nocturnal, meaning during the day they take down the previously made spider web and construct another new one during the evening. When a orb spider takes down its web it consumes the silk. This recycling helps the spider be able to construct their next web.
There is not much of a difference in the actually physical look to a male and female barn spider, other than just a size difference over all. The length of the body is around 12 to 22 mm for the females and 10 to 19 mm for the males. The adults look very similar. They are covered in what looks like dense hair spines, and are very neutrally colored. Either male or female barn spiders are not poisonous.
A barn spider's scientific name is Araneus Cavaticus, there are a few other species of what people call barn spiders. However they are not the specific species that E.B. White is referring to. Under spider classification they are commonly referred as Orb weaving spiders due to the types of webs that they create. The following scientific names are more specific names that related more to the region they are found in because their are differences between them all, however they are all classified as Araneus Cavaticus:
- Aranea crucifera albimaculata
- Epeira crucifera
- Epeira domiciliorum
- Epeira hentzii
- Epeira lentiginosa
- Neoscona arkansa
- Neoscona benjamina
- Neoscona hentzi
- Neoscona nebraskensis
- Neoscona sacra
These species of Orb weaving spiders are all typically nocturnal, meaning during the day they take down the previously made spider web and construct another new one during the evening. When a orb spider takes down its web it consumes the silk. This recycling helps the spider be able to construct their next web.
There is not much of a difference in the actually physical look to a male and female barn spider, other than just a size difference over all. The length of the body is around 12 to 22 mm for the females and 10 to 19 mm for the males. The adults look very similar. They are covered in what looks like dense hair spines, and are very neutrally colored. Either male or female barn spiders are not poisonous.
After a spider makes a new web during the evening, they will be waiting in the middle of their web for a unsuspecting prey to land accidentally on its web. These spiders typically look for places where there are a lot of flying insects, such as a door way, or a porch light. These webs typically are about two feet in diameter that are constructed depending on where the spider choose to set up their web.
As in Charlotte's Web when she has babies, this is called the eggsac, the female spider creates this pod that can be anywhere form 5-12mm in diameter, and can contain from 800-1,000 eggs.
Below is a
As in Charlotte's Web when she has babies, this is called the eggsac, the female spider creates this pod that can be anywhere form 5-12mm in diameter, and can contain from 800-1,000 eggs.
Below is a