Spider retreat

Moved

Moved from Spiders.

… Laura P., 17 January, 2019 - 11:18pm

Moved

Moved from Entelegynes .

… Jeff Hollenbeck, 30 July, 2018 - 5:03am

Moved

Moved from Spiders.

… Lynette Elliott, 30 August, 2009 - 3:04pm

Diguetid, I think

It looks like the retreat of a diguetid spider, of which the only genus is Diguetia. They are mainly desert spiders... you're in the arid part of Colorado, I guess? The spider hides in this structure, and eventually deposits egg sacs in it. Normally it would be at the top of a broad, upside-down funnel of webbing. Insects hitting the irregular maze of webbing above the funnel/sheet drop down onto it, and the spider comes out of its retreat and grabs its prey from the underside of the sheet. That last sentence is speculation, but I'm pretty sure that's how it would work. I don't know if the rest of the web is missing because it gets rebuilt every day, or because this spider has made egg sacs (or is preparing to) and isn't in hunting mode.

… Charley Eiseman, 4 January, 2009 - 10:29pm

Diguetid, maybe

We're not spider experts at all but from what we've read in yours and other descriptions your suggestion would seem a very likely possibility. A Coneweb Spider is certainly getting us into the ballpark. We are in fact located in an arid part of south central Colorado, a little north of the Arkansas River drainage. The drought of the past several years has made it drier. Apparently Diguetid spiders can be found all the way from California to Oklahoma and Texas. Hopefully we'll find another next summer and have a chance to take a look at the spider.

… Barbara Magnuson, 7 January, 2009 - 6:39pm

What about

something like these

… John R. Maxwell, 4 January, 2009 - 10:39pm

Diguetid, maybe

Very much like the second example above but without an orb web or cotton balls. Thank you for the image references! I think we've at least narrowed the ID down to a Coneweb spider but next summer may give us a glimpse of the spider.

… Barbara Magnuson, 7 January, 2009 - 6:45pm

That looks good too...

I almost mentioned Metepeira, but I hadn't seen one with a retreat quite like that before. I guess in this case we'd need to see the spider to be sure. Or maybe diguetids don't get into that part of Colorado.

If it is Metepeira, the function (hiding place) would be the same, but the irregular maze of webbing would include an orb web with a "signal line" leading from the hub (center) to the retreat, with which the spider monitors the orb web for vibrations from insects hitting it.

This retreat does look more like the second example you gave than it does like any diguetid retreat I've seen.

… Charley Eiseman, 4 January, 2009 - 10:53pm

Metepeira?

We'll continue to compare the two although we know that the retreat did not appear to have had an orb web attached. Maybe next summer will help solve the riddle. Thanks very much for your help!!!

… Barbara Magnuson, 7 January, 2009 - 6:42pm