Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Enoplognatha ovata

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Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Entelegynae)
Family Theridiidae (Cobweb Spiders)
Genus Enoplognatha
Species ovata (Enoplognatha ovata)
Identification
Enoplognatha ovata has several color morphs. This one is form lineata, with several pairs of dorsolateral spots, but no red stripes.


Form redimita has two dorsolateral red stripes running the length of the abdominal dorsum.


Form ovata, the least common morph, has a solid red band running the length of the abdominal dorsum (upper surface of the abdomen).


Source: David Wise & Paul Reillo, Frequencies of Color Morphs in Four Populations of Enoplognatha ovata in Eastern North America, 1984. ~ Andrew Reding

Male:


Juvenile
Range
Northeastern states and adjacent Canada; Pacific Coast states and British Columbia. (1)
Life Cycle
Different individuals can have white or blue egg sacs (I think there's another color possible too). The egg sac will normally be in a leaf nest. The spiderlings overwinter in leaf litter. ~ Rod Crawford.
Remarks
Not-native
See Also
Theridion have the bottom eye row in a slight downward curve, with a gap between the rows, while in Enoplognatha the four bottom eyes lie almost straight across with hardly any space between the rows:

      Theridion           Enoplognatha


Also in E. ovata the carapace has a dark border line. That line is often missing in Theridion species.
Internet References
~ psyche.entclub.org - PDF article by David Wise & Paul Reillo, Frequencies of Color Morphs in Four Populations of Enoplognatha ovata in Eastern North America, 1984.
Works Cited
1.How to Know the Spiders
B. J. Kaston. 1978. WCB/McGraw-Hill.