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Photo#414926
Adult Female - Hypsosinga pygmaea - female

Adult Female - Hypsosinga pygmaea - Female
Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada
May 17, 2010
Size: BL ~ 3 mm
This spider is sitting at the hub of a small orb web it constructed just above the grass. The web is about 2-3 inches in diamater and is just barely visible here. If the head of this spider is facing "12 o'clock" some of the radial lines of the orb web can be seen at about 4 o'clock, and some of the spiral lines are visible between about 4 and 6 o'clock. The web was very fine and I had a hard time getting it to show up in any of the pictures.

She caught a small insect in her web while I was there. She wrapped it up "orb weaver style," instead of just grabbing it in her jaws without wrapping, as an erigonin would have done.

I've seen these little spiders in my area for years now, crawling among vegetation or ballooning off fences. Having never keyed one out I've always just assumed they were Hypselistes sp. (Erigoninae), since they are about the same size and coloration.

Images of this individual: tag all
Adult Female - Hypsosinga pygmaea - female Adult Female - Hypsosinga pygmaea - female Adult Female - Hypsosinga pygmaea - female Adult Female - Hypsosinga pygmaea - female

Moved
Moved from Orb Weavers.

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