Spiders with spikes are some of the most visually striking members of the arachnid family. Their spiky abdomens and colorful bodies make them stand out against other types of spiders. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these amazing creatures – from why they have spikes to some of the most popular spiked spider species.
Why Do Some Spiders Have Spikes?
So what’s with the spiky look? There are a few main theories as to why certain spiders evolved to have abdominal spikes:
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Defense against predators – The spikes make the spider appear larger and less palatable to potential predators like birds, The spines also make them more difficult to swallow
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Protection of eggs – The spikes may help protect a female spider’s egg sac while she carries it
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Warning coloration – The vivid colors of some spiked spiders may warn predators that they are toxic or venomous.
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Strength – The spikes add rigidity and strength to the abdomen.
Research is still ongoing into the evolutionary purpose of spiked spiders. But there’s no doubt the spikes serve an important function for these arachnids.
21 Types of Spiked Spiders
There are dozens of spider species around the world that have spiked or spiny abdomens Here are 21 of the most common and interesting
1. Spinybacked Orbweaver
The female Spinybacked Orbweaver has 6 prominent red spines. They build beautiful circular webs.
2. Spined Micrathena
A tiny tropical spider with 6-8 black spines on an arrow-shaped white abdomen.
3. Arrow-shaped Orbweaver
This aptly named spider has arrow-shaped females with 3 pairs of long red and black spines.
4. Starbellied Orbweaver
This nocturnal spider has vivid white and black bands on its abdomen and 4-10 spikes.
5. Christmas Jewel Spider
A colorful Australian species with 6 white, yellow, orange or black spines.
6. Black-and-White Spiny Spider
Tiny spiders with 6 long black spines on a contrasting white/yellow abdomen.
7. Two-spined Spider
Females of this species have just 2 large white and black conical spines.
8. Oriental Spiny Orb-Weaver
Native to Asia, these have a variable number of reddish abdominal spines.
9. Micrathena Sexspinosa
A tropical arrow-shaped spider with small spikes along its abdomen.
10. Amazon Thorn Spider
This aptly named spider has an array of small and large black spines.
11. Northern Jewelled Spider
An Australian species with black/brown marginal spines.
12. Long-horned Orbweaver
This rainforest spider has both short pointy spines and long rounded spines.
13. Hasselt’s Spiny Spider
Some spines are 2-3 times longer than its body on this Asian species.
14. Parallel-spined Spiny Orbweaver
Red, black and grey spider with 6 different sized spines.
15. Shorthorn Kitespider
Tiny species with 3 pairs of long black marginal spines.
16. Spiny Orb-Weaver
Also called the Thorn Spider, this has red spines and hides in tropical forests.
17. Four-spined Spiny Orbweaver
True to its name, this small Queensland spider has just 4 spines.
18. Mediumwing Kitespider
Unusual species with just 4 long spines instead of 6.
19. Priestly Spiny Orbweaver
This spider has short black spines with red and yellow markings.
20. Asian Spinybacked Orbweaver
Native to Japan and Asia, these have variable colored spines.
21. Seven-spined Crab Spider
This Brazilian rainforest spider has 7 brilliantly colored spikes.
As you can see, spiked spiders come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. But they all have the distinctive abdominal projections their group is named after.
Caring for Spiked Spiders
Some species of spiked spiders do well in captivity and can make interesting pets for arachnid enthusiasts. Providing the proper habitat is key – aim to replicate their natural environment. Most need high humidity, ample hideouts, vertical space for web-building, and tropical temperatures.
Be extremely careful when handling spiked spiders, as some have medically significant venom. Their small size also makes them prone to injury from handling. Observing their fascinating behaviors and web-building abilities is best done from outside the enclosure.
The Benefits of Spiked Spiders
In nature, these exotic-looking spiders play an important role in balancing their ecosystems. They help control insect populations and provide food for other predators. Their impressive webs are architectural masterpieces.
Learning more about spiders with spikes sheds light on evolution and adaptation. Their striking appearance and behaviors also simply make them fun to study and observe.
So next time you come across one of these pointy arachnids, take a moment to admire its unique adaptations before gently sending it on its way. The spider world is full of diversity, and spiked species showcase evolution at its finest!
What is that Spiny Spider?
Theres magic to fall, and the cycles that ramp up (or down) before the cold. Youll start to see all sorts of animals scurrying around caching nuts, humming birds stocking up on nectar, and general mayhem before the birds depart on their way south. To me, there are three signs that fall is coming:
- Black gum tree leaves change their color (theyre the first to turn red, along with poison ivy)
- Fungus starts popping up everywhere
- Spider webs smack you in the face constantly on the trail and you have to dodge spiny spiders.
This leads me to helping you identify those pesky spiders that youre dodging on the trails in fall.
WHY ARE SPIDERS SO PREVALENT IN THE FALL?
Lets start with why you might notice spiders more in fall. Well, theyve always been there, youve just never noticed or seen them. By nature they are secretive wee beasts and many of them only come out at night or build webs in unnoticeable places. However, they are becoming more active for a variety of reasons, the first and foremost is that many species of spiders breed in Autumn and lay their eggs in leaf litter to over-winter until Spring. The second is that many young spiderlings that have hatched over the summer are now dispersing for the Autumn so that they too can find a good spot to feed-up before winter. Heres where you flash back to “Charlottes Web” the childrens story book. Baby spiders balloon, or send out long filaments of spider silk from their rumps that act like butt-kites and lift them off and away into the wind. Not gonna lie, Ive wanted to do something similar a time or two (though not from the rump, I know your minds went there).
FIRST A DISCLAIMER: all the spiders presented here are harmless wee beasties, they dont have a venomous bite, chase women and children, or cause harm. They are beneficial spiders that are quite shy and want to get the heck away from you as fast as possible.
So what are the spiny spiders youre seeing? In this area (the Eastern US) the most common spider you see in fall is the marbled orb weaver (and orb weavers in general). its a bright orange spider, about the size of a pencil eraser or dime, but it has a round rump and isnt spiny. if youre curious you can read another article I wrote on this one here.
The two most common types of spiny spiders are the spiny orb weavers in the genus Verrucosa (Ver-rue-cose-ah) and the Micranthena (Mike-ran-thee-Ah) orb weavers. While the genus names of these spiders sounds like a Harry Potter wand curse (Im sure many people would like to Expecto-spiderum), they really represent two broad groups, the arrowhead-shaped spiny spiders and the club-shaped-spiny-rump spiders. Check out the pictures below to see what I mean.
The Verrucosa spiders get their genus name from the Latin word meaning “rugged” or “warty.” The most common one in our area is the Verrucosa arenata (whose species name means “sand” in Latin, from the term “arena). Some entomologist in a dark hole somewhere thought naming these spiders warty sand was a good idea…
Notice the arrow shaped triangle on its rump. Most orb weaver spiders in this spiders family hang in their webs with their heads down, but this one can be found hanging head-up, and unlike other spiders it rests with its legs tucked up to its body. Not sure why but its a good diagnostic. The other neat thing is that this spider builds a new web every day, and takes down the old one and eats it at night (recycling at its finest). Theyre usually about 5-10 mm.
Lets move to the Micrathena. The most common species you see here is the spined Micrathena (Micrathena gracilis), from hence forth called the spiny-rumped spider with a club-butt.
I have eaten more webs from this spiny spider than anything else. They love to build towering webs across trails and open spaces (often 5-6 ft across), waiting for you to walk into them and do the crazy spider waving arm dance that follows trying to get the web off. Maybe they get a kick out of it..spider humor?
This spiny spider is unique because only the females use silk to weave webs, and the males look totally different, about 1/2 the size (females are usually about 8-10 mm). The females abdomen has 8-10 spines and is black and white, with a cone shaped club-butt. The males are not often seen, but they can be found hanging out in the corners of the web, waiting for the right time to mate and dash out without being eaten by the female! There are over 100 species of Micrathena, so dont be surprised if you find other colors, like the one below.
If you live in the Southeastern US you may be familiar with the spiny-backed orb-weaver (Gasteracantha sp.). These little gems are small, round, and spiny too (6-10 mm). They are also in the orb-weaver family.
There are many more types of spiny spiders but these two groups and spiders are the most common out in Fall. You can always go to Bugguide.net to put in pictures of things you find to get identified.
Spikes & Webs: Spiny Orb Weavers
FAQ
Is the spiky spider poisonous?
How serious are spinybacked orb weaver spiders? Spinybacked orb weaver spiders are mostly harmless. Their large webs often startle and annoy people, but the pests pose no serious health risks. Infestations can become large, as their egg sacs contain over 200 offspring.
What spiders have spikes?
Gasteracantha is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first named by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. Species of the genus are known as spiny-backed orb-weavers, spiny orb-weavers, or spiny spiders. The females of most species are brightly colored with six prominent spines on their broad, hardened, shell-like abdomens.
Do spiny orb weaver bites hurt?
Orb-weavers rarely bite and only do so when threatened and unable to escape. If bitten by an orb-weaver, the bite and injected venom is comparable to that of a bee sting, with no long-term implications unless the bite victim happens to be hyper-allergic to the venom.
Is a cross orbweaver spider poisonous?
While orb weaver spiders can bite and are venomous, they are not considered a threat to humans.Sep 22, 2021
Where do spiders with spikes live?
Various species of spiders with spikes exist around the world. They live across North America, Asia, South America, and Australia. A large number of species are specific tropical forests of the world. These spiders may be small, but they like high-moisture habitats. Spiders with spines can number several pairs of spines.
How many spikes does a spider have?
Some spikes are longer than others. At least 4 long spikes are seen together with up to 10 short spikes across the body of the female. Females of the species are attached to the spider webs of the species and move around on the web at night.
Why do spiders have spikes?
Current data suggests these types of spikes are often seen in tropical species that evolved to protect themselves. Some spiders have spikes to protect themselves from a long list of predators such as birds or even other larger spiders. A protective role is the main purpose of spikes on spiders.
What is a spinybacked orbweaver spider?
Gasteracantha cancriformis (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae). It is widely distributed in the New World.
What spiders have black spines?
3 pairs of long black spike-line spines are specific to the Shorthorn Kitespider. This species has black spines around the edge of its abdomen. Spiders of this genus live in moist habitats such as woodlands. Springtime marks a period of high activity and egg-laying for the species. 16. Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider
What is a spiny orbweaver spider called?
The spiny orbweaver spider is also known by several common names, including crab spider, spiny orbweaver spider, crab-like orbweaver spider, crab-like spiny orbweaver spider, jewel spider, spiny-bellied orbweaver, jewel box spider, smiley face spider, and crablike spiny orbweaver.