HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowse

Info

ImagesLinksBooksData

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Enoplognatha » Enoplognatha ovata

Species Enoplognatha ovata

Classification · Identification · Range · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited

Small yellow spider with black spots - Enoplognatha ovata

Small spider - Enoplognatha ovata - male

Red and yellow spider - Enoplognatha ovata - female

Enoplognatha cobweb spider? - Enoplognatha ovata

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.

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 31 July, 2005 - 4:37pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Lynette Elliott, Kevin Hall
Last updated 15 June, 2013 - 6:57pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version