Family Uloboridae - Cribellate Orb Weavers

Hackle-band orbweavers

7 genera found in Bugguide's range.

Hyptiotes - 4 species

Miagrammopes - 1 species, mexicanus

Octonoba - 1 species, sinensis

Philoponella - 3 species

Siratoba - 1 species, referens

Uloborus - 4 species

Zosis - 1 species (pantropical)

See Internet References below.

Miagrammopes - These have only 4 eyes and a carapace that is much longer than broad.

Hyptiotes - Carapace about as broad as long, 8 eyes, female legs short & stout, male legs longer.

Octonarius sinensis (octonarius) - North America, Maryland to TN & AL. A domestic species, base color yellow to off-white with dark markings on the sides of the abdomen. Front legs without brush hairs. Posterior legs pale, femora with three wide dark bands.

Philoponella - Carapace of males round, females broadly oval. Legs typically annulated with black and yellow in females, but lacking fringes of hairs. Abdomen with more or less a distinct series of 5 pairs of humps. These are social and usually live in large colonies.

Uloborus - A small species with suboval carapace. Posterior eye row strongly recurved. Legs of female usually with brushes of hairs on front tibiae. Abdomen variable, usually well elevated in front third, with a pair of humps at highest point.

Only Hyptiotes ranges into Alaska.

Siratoba referens is only known from specimen records in southern Arizona. (Muma & Gertsch 1964)

This family is unique among spiders in our area in having no venom at all. It also has a wide variety of eye arrangements. Peng et al. (2023) describe the feeding behavior: "Uloborids employ a distinct hunting method involving extensive silk-wrapping and regurgitation of digestive fluids onto the whole prey, yet the precise mechanism by which prey is immobilized remains unknown. One hypothesis is that toxins may have shifted from the venom to other secretions that come into contact with prey, such as silk or digestive fluids."

The Spider Family Uloboridae in North America north of Mexico, Muma and Gertsch revision, American Novitates, 1964. (PDF format)