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Larinioides cornutus

By John Gracely

Geographic Range

Furrow spiders are a holartic species commonly found throughout North America, from northern Mexico, throughout the United States and into Canada, as well as southern and eastern Alaska. This species is also ubiquitous throughout Europe and western Asia. Smaller distributions exist in the Korean and Kamchatka penninsulas, eastern China, and Japan, as well as in parts of Africa including northeastern Algeria and Egypt. Single records also exist from Australia, Greenland, and Iceland. (Bon, 2011; British Arachnological Society, 2013; Marusik and Koponen, 2005)

Habitat

Furrow spiders are commonly found in moist areas near bodies of water or areas of dense vegetation. Man-made structures like barns, houses, and bridges also make ideal habitats for these spiders as they provide suitable coverage from the sun. (Bon, 2011; Deltshev, et al., 201; Kirindi, et al., 2005; Webber, 2002)

  • Range elevation
    2 to 700 m
    6.56 to 2296.59 ft
  • Average elevation
    300 m
    984.25 ft

Physical Description

These orb weaving spiders have large, bulbous, oval-shaped abdomens, which are dorsoventrally flattened. The abdomen ranges in color including black, grey, red and olive, and the carapace features a lighter colored, arrow shaped pattern that points towards the cephalothorax. Their legs have a striped pattern matching the carapace and are covered in large hairs (macrosetae). The two pairs of forward legs are very long (typically equal to the entire body length) while their rear legs are shorter. Males tend to be smaller and lighter in color than females, ranging in size from 5 to 9 mm in length, while females range from 6 to 14 mm. Legspans for both sexes may range from 18 to 35 mm. (Nicholls, 2010; Prokop, 2006; Webber, 2002)

  • Sexual Dimorphism
  • female larger
  • sexes colored or patterned differently
  • female more colorful
  • Range mass
    .1 to .3 g
    0.00 to 0.01 oz
  • Average mass
    .23 g
    0.01 oz
  • Range length
    5 to 14 mm
    0.20 to 0.55 in
  • Average length
    7 mm
    0.28 in

Development

Once eggs are fertilized by the male, female furrow spiders hide their egg sacs within large web cocoons on leaves. Fertilized eggs hatch in the cocoon within a month. Hatched spiderlings remain in the protective cocoon for two to three months until they reach maturity. When they have fully matured, spiderlings disperse in search of foraging opportunities. (Bon, 2011; Howell and Jenkees, 2004; Webber, 2002)

Reproduction

Females furrow spiders produce a silken cocoon that can fit both male and female inside during copulation. Once it is made, females reside in this cocoon and emit pheromones, which males sense through chemoreceptors. Females carry unfertilized eggs inside the cocoon and, once inside the cocoon, males insert sperm into females using their pedipalps. Fertilized eggs, which are yellow in color, are then nested within an egg sac, which the female will place in a protected location such as the underside of a leaf. Further copulation may occur if a female has additional unfertilized eggs after mating once, provided a male is still present and protecting the hidden egg sac. Males are sometimes (but not always) killed and eaten following successive mating; regardless, they typically die soon after mating. Females die following egg laying, sometimes surviving until spiderlings have hatched from their cocoon. (Bon, 2011; Partridge, 2011; Webber, 2002)

When females are well fed, they focus on creating more eggs for reproduction rather than web construction. When food is difficult to find, no resources are put into producing unfertilized eggs or a silken cocoon for reproduction. Mating can occur from spring through fall and is usually only limited by resource availability. (Howell and Jenkees, 2004; Nicholls, 2010; Partridge, 2011; Sherman, 1994; Webber, 2002)

  • Breeding interval
    Furrow spiders breed only once in their lifetimes.
  • Breeding season
    Breeding occurs from late spring to early fall.
  • Range number of offspring
    3 to 5
  • Range gestation period
    1 to 1 months
  • Range time to independence
    1 to 4 months
  • Average time to independence
    3 months
  • Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    4 to 18 months
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    6 months
  • Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
    4 to 18 months
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
    6 months

Before any mating or egg fertilization takes place, females create a silken retreat in a protected location where eggs will be placed. After fertilization, mating pairs coexist and protect the cocoon for a time; both parents die at some point following copulation and egg laying, although survival time varies. (Howell and Jenkees, 2004; Partridge, 2011; Sherman, 1994)

  • Parental Investment
  • male parental care
  • female parental care
  • pre-fertilization
    • provisioning
    • protecting
      • female
  • pre-hatching/birth
    • protecting
      • male
      • female
  • pre-weaning/fledging
    • protecting
      • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Furrow spiders are capable of surviving cold winter seasons. Although they most commonly reach maturity during the spring, they may reach maturity at any time during the year. These spiders may live up to two years. (Nicholls, 2010; Sherman, 1994; Webber, 2002)

  • Typical lifespan
    Status: wild
    1 to 2 years
  • Average lifespan
    Status: wild
    1 years

Behavior

These spiders are solitary predators who build their webs close to damp vegetation or any man-made location sheltered from the sun. Their orb webs are typically low to the ground in shrubbery or between grasses and consist of 20-25 radii. Average mesh size is 5 mm with a total area ranging from 600 to 1100 cm^2. Furrow spiders remain at the hub of their webs or in nearby shade all day. Individuals ingest their web each night, recycling silk material to rebuild daily damage. When food is scarce, these spiders may make more or larger webs in a single night, in an effort to snare more prey. When food is abundant, they more often forego continual web creation and females invest solely in creating cocoons for reproduction. (Howell and Jenkees, 2004; Nicholls, 2010; Prokop, 2006; Sherman, 1994)

Home Range

These spiders are most often found on, or in close proximity to their webs, an area that ranges from 600-1100 cm^2. (Sherman, 1994)

Communication and Perception

Furrow spiders have a lower row of 6 eyes, paired horizontally across their heads, and an additional pair of eyes located directly above the center of the lower row. Females produce pheromones during mating season, which are detected by males through chemoreceptors. These spiders also are extremely sensitive to vibrations that they sense using macrosetate and filiform hairs along their legs (filiform hairs are also located on their abdomens). Small receptors called slit sensilla are arranged along their exoskeletons, detecting any pressure against their bodies. (Bon, 2011; Foelix, 2011; Partridge, 2011; Prokop, 2006; Webber, 2002)

Food Habits

These spiders are primarily insectivores. They use varying sizes of orb webs to capture prey during the day; prey items typically include damselflies (Platycnemis pennipes), gnats, and common mosquitoes (Culex pipiens). Like many arachnids, this species produces a venom in the anterior prosoma within a specialized gland which is connected to the chelicerae via small canals. Each chelicera has four pairs of teeth. Once snared and entangled within the orb web, furrow spiders wrap their prey in silk and immobilize it, injecting venom through their chelicerae, and transport it off the web. Digestive enzymes break down the prey's internal organs into a fluid form for consumption, leaving very little waste for excretion. Larger prey are stored in order to give digestive enzymes ample time to act. (Foelix, 2011; Prokop, 2006)

  • Animal Foods
  • insects

Predation

Many birds feed on these spiders, especially if they are not well hidden during the day. Larger insects such as black and yellow mud daubers (Sceliphron caementarium) are also predators of adult furrow spiders, while flesh fly larvae (Sarcophaga sexpunctata)are known predators of their egg cocoons. ("Larinioides cornutus", 2013; Araújo and Gonzaga, 2007; Kirindi, et al., 2005)

Ecosystem Roles

Furrow spiders are primarily predators of small insects and bugs. Their webs may keep populations of these animals in check, especially in man-made settings like barns, houses, and bridges. (Kirindi, et al., 2005)

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Furrow spiders provide some assistance through their predation on insects considered to be pests by humans. (Howell and Jenkees, 2004; Kirindi, et al., 2005; Nicholls, 2010; Partridge, 2011)

  • Positive Impacts
  • controls pest population

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Although venomous, these spiders only bite humans if their webs are threatened and, even then, bites are only superficial and do not typically require medical attention. There are no known adverse effects of furrow spiders on humans. (Partridge, 2011)

  • Negative Impacts
  • injures humans

Conservation Status

This species is common throughout its range and currently has no special conservation status. (IUCN, 2012)

Contributors

John Gracely (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Jeremy Wright (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Glossary

Australian

Living in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea and associated islands.

World Map

Nearctic

living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.

World Map

Palearctic

living in the northern part of the Old World. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa.

World Map

agricultural

living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture.

arboreal

Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

carnivore

an animal that mainly eats meat

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

ectothermic

animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature

female parental care

parental care is carried out by females

fertilization

union of egg and spermatozoan

forest

forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.

holarctic

a distribution that more or less circles the Arctic, so occurring in both the Nearctic and Palearctic biogeographic regions.

World Map

Found in northern North America and northern Europe or Asia.

insectivore

An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.

internal fertilization

fertilization takes place within the female's body

introduced

referring to animal species that have been transported to and established populations in regions outside of their natural range, usually through human action.

male parental care

parental care is carried out by males

marsh

marshes are wetland areas often dominated by grasses and reeds.

monogamous

Having one mate at a time.

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

nocturnal

active during the night

oriental

found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.

World Map

oviparous

reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.

pheromones

chemicals released into air or water that are detected by and responded to by other animals of the same species

riparian

Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).

seasonal breeding

breeding is confined to a particular season

sedentary

remains in the same area

semelparous

offspring are all produced in a single group (litter, clutch, etc.), after which the parent usually dies. Semelparous organisms often only live through a single season/year (or other periodic change in conditions) but may live for many seasons. In both cases reproduction occurs as a single investment of energy in offspring, with no future chance for investment in reproduction.

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

solitary

lives alone

stores or caches food

places a food item in a special place to be eaten later. Also called "hoarding"

suburban

living in residential areas on the outskirts of large cities or towns.

tactile

uses touch to communicate

taiga

Coniferous or boreal forest, located in a band across northern North America, Europe, and Asia. This terrestrial biome also occurs at high elevations. Long, cold winters and short, wet summers. Few species of trees are present; these are primarily conifers that grow in dense stands with little undergrowth. Some deciduous trees also may be present.

temperate

that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).

terrestrial

Living on the ground.

tropical savanna and grassland

A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.

savanna

A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.

temperate grassland

A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.

urban

living in cities and large towns, landscapes dominated by human structures and activity.

venomous

an animal which has an organ capable of injecting a poisonous substance into a wound (for example, scorpions, jellyfish, and rattlesnakes).

vibrations

movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others

visual

uses sight to communicate

References

2013. "Larinioides cornutus" (On-line). Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed January 12, 2013 at http://eol.org/pages/1195528/overview.

Araújo, M., M. Gonzaga. 2007. Individual specialization in the hunting wasp Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) albonigrum (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 12: 1855-1863. Accessed February 22, 2012 at http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/stable/27823572?&Search=yes&searchText=Larinioides&searchText=Cornutus&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DLarinioides%2BCornutus%26gw%3Djtx%26acc%3Don%26prq%3DA%2Bsurvey%2Bof%2Bspiders%2B%2528Araneae%2529%2Bwith%2BHolarctic%2Bdistribution%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=18&ttl=21&returnArticleService=showFullText.

BAYRAM, A., Y. YİĞİT, . DANIŞMA, İ. ÇORAK, Z. SANCAK. 2007. Venomous Spiders of Turkey (Araneae). Journal of Applied Biological Sciences, 1/3: 33-36. Accessed January 30, 2012 at http://kazimcapaci.com/Venomous%20Spiders%20of%20Turkey.pdf.

Barrett, R., P. Hebert. 2005. Identifying spiders through DNA barcodes. Canadian Journal of Zoology,, 83: 481-491. Accessed February 03, 2012 at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/z05-024.

Bon, A. 2011. "Larinioides cornutus" (On-line). A complete world in my garden ... and beyond. Accessed February 15, 2012 at http://toutunmondedansmonjardin.perso.neuf.fr/EN/pages_EN/larinioides_cornutus_EN.htm.

British Arachnological Society, 2013. "Checklist of British Spiders" (On-line). Website of the British Arachnological Society. Accessed January 20, 2013 at http://www.britishspiders.org.uk/html/checklist.php.

Deltshev, C., . Vrenosi, G. Blagoev, S. Lazarov. 201. Spiders of Albania – Faunistic and Zoogeographical Review. ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA, 63: 125-144. Accessed February 02, 2012 at http://www.acta-zoologica-bulgarica.eu/downloads/acta-zoologica-bulgarica/2011/63-2-125-144.pdf.

Dondale, C., J. Redner, H. Levi. 2003. The Orb-Weaving Spiders of Canada and Alaska. Ottowa: NRC Research Press.

Foelix, R. 2011. Biology of Spiders. New York: Oxford University Press.

Howell, M., R. Jenkees. 2004. Spiders of the Eastern US, A Photographic Guide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson College Division.

IUCN, 2012. "The IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species" (On-line). Accessed January 20, 2013 at www.iucnredlist.org.

Kawamoto, T., H. Japyassú. 2008. Tenacity and Silk Investment of Two Orb Weavers: Considerations about Diversification of the Araneoidea. Journal of Arachnology, 36: 418-424.

Kaya, R., İ. Hakkı Uğurtaş. 2007. A faunistic study on spiders (Araneae) of Terzioğlu Island. Journal of Biological & Environmental Sciences, 1: 36. Accessed January 28, 2012 at http://jbes.uludag.edu.tr/PDFDOSYALAR/mak-6.pdf.

Kirindi, T., A. Bayram, M. Maras. 2005. A morphological study on the venom apparatus of spider Larinioides cornutus (Araneae, Araneidae). Turkish journal of zoology, 29/4: 351. Accessed January 29, 2012 at http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/issues/zoo-05-29-4/zoo-29-4-10-0408-5.pdf.

Marusik, Y., S. Koponen. 2005. A survey of spiders (Araneae) with Holarctic distribution. The Journal of Arachnology, 33: 300-305. Accessed January 25, 2012 at http://www.jstor.org/pss/4129828.

Nicholls, D. 2010. "Larinioides cornutus" (On-line). Nature Spot. Accessed February 23, 2012 at http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/larinioides-cornutus.

Opell, B., . Hendricks. 2009. The adhesive delivery system of viscous capture threads spun by orb-weaving spiders. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 212: 3026-3034. Accessed February 02, 2012 at http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/18/3026.short.

Partridge, J. 2011. "Notes on Larinioides cornutus" (On-line). British Spiders. Accessed February 22, 2012 at http://srs.britishspiders.org.uk/portal.php/p/Notes+on/s/Larinioides%20cornutus.

Prokop, P. 2006. Prey Type does not Determine Web Design in Two Orb-Weaving Spiders. Zoological studies, 45: 124-131. Accessed February 22, 2012 at http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/45.1/124.pdf.

Sherman, P. 1994. The orb-web: an energetic and behavioural estimator of a spider's dynamic foraging and reproductive strategies. Animal Behavior, 48: 19-34. Accessed January 29, 2012 at http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31447/1/0000367.pdf.

Stewart, J. 2001. SOME SPIDERS OF FLANDERS MOSS. Forth Naturalist and Historian,, 24: 49. Accessed February 03, 2012 at http://www.fnh.stir.ac.uk/journal/back_issues/vol_24/vol_24_text.pdf#page=49.

Václav, R., . Prokop. 2006. Does the appearance of orbweaving spiders attract prey?. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 43: 65-71. Accessed January 29, 2012 at http://www.zoo.sav.sk/prokop/articles/Vaclav-Prokop%20anz43-065.pdf.

Webber, L. 2002. Spiders of the North Woods. Duluth, MN: Kollath-Stensaas Publishing.

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