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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Theridion
Photo#539354
spider with boxing gloves - Theridion - male
Copyright © 2011 Joe Zito

spider with boxing gloves - Theridion - Male
cedar rapids/icnc, Linn County, Iowa, USA
July 3, 2011
body 7mm or so long

Images of this individual: tag all
spider with boxing gloves - Theridion - male spider with boxing gloves - Theridion
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Contributed by Joe Zito on 3 July, 2011 - 9:39pm

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Joe Zito, 3 July, 2011 - 10:23pm login or register to post comments

Ha!
That's a cute little fella. This appears to be a very handsome male of the Theridion genus of Cobweb Weavers. I find these in my garden frequently, and I always love seeing these little gems. The male's 'boxing gloves' are known as Pedipalps, and are for storing sperm so that the male can mate with the female. It gives him an opportunity to skedaddle once mating is done or she doesn't like him, as well as sometimes helping him offer his abdomen to the female so she can snack on that and let him get his business done before finishing him off! And human males think their love life is hard!
… Cassie Novak, 3 July, 2011 - 10:06pm login or register to post comments

Looks like
a male Theridion:



The "boxing gloves" are the male's enlarged, specialized pedipalps.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 3 July, 2011 - 10:04pm login or register to post comments

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