Class Arachnida | Order Araneae Family Araneidae Rank Species | |
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Similar Araneus angulatus, Marbled orb‑weaver, Araneus quadratus, Agalenatea, Agalenatea redii | ||
The Strawberry Spider or Orange Wheelweaving Spider (Araneus alsine) is a species of the orb-weaving spider (Araneidae) family.
Contents
Description
As one of its common names suggests, A. alsine may appear somewhat like a strawberry—with a large, round, reddish, dotted abdomen.
Females can reach sizes of up to 15 mm, with the color of the almost globular opisthosoma ranging from beige to orange. Many yellowish dots spread over the surface.
Habits
A. alsine builds small webs near the ground and waits near them in leaves that it has rolled together. The species can be found on moist forest clearings and meadows.
Mating occurs in June and July, eggs are laid until August. The spiderlings soon hatch, overwinter in a subadult stadium and are full-grown in early summer next year.
