Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Explanation of Names
Author of name: Sundevall, 1833
Gender: Feminine
From the Greek adjective for "small" and the name of the goddess Athena, patroness of domestic arts and handicrafts, especially spinning and weaving.
(1)Numbers
There are 4 species in North America north of Mexico.
Size
Body length: 3.0-5.9 mm (males) & 4.7-10.8 mm (females)
(2)Range
funebris - southern Arizona and southern California south to Costa Rica.
(3)
gracilis - (eastern U.S.) central Wisconsin to southern New Hampshire and south to Panama.
(2)
mitrata - (eastern U.S.) Wisconsin to Maine and south to Panama.
(2)
sagittata - (eastern U.S.) central Minnesota to New Hampshire and south to Costa Rica.
(2) Life Cycle
Females place eggs in a fluffy egg sac on vegetation near the web. Young Micrathena look much different than the adults.
Remarks
These are diurnal (daytime active) spiders that build vertical, orb-shaped webs.
Micrathena are different from most araneids in that they first bite their prey, then wrap it. Most other orbweavers wrap it first, then bite.
Males are not very commonly collected with the females; they are easier to find by sweep-netting at night.
Print References
Dondale, C.D., J.H. Redner, P, Paquin and H.W. Levi, 2003. The Insects and Arachnids of Canada Part 23: The Orb-weaving Spiders of Canada and Alaska, NRC Research Press 141-150. [BugGuide entry
here and google preview available
here]
Levi, H.W., 1985. The spiny orb-weaver genera
Micrathena and
Chaetacis (Araneae: Araneidae). Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harv. 150(8): 429-618. [available online from
here]
Bukowski, T. & T. Christenson, 1997. Natural history and copulatory behavior of the spiny orbweaving spider
Micrathena gracilis (Araneae, Araneidae). Journal of Arachnology 25(3):307–320. [available online
here]