Spider firing and winding silk

Bruce Williams · #1 (**permalink**) 20-10-2009, 10:48 AM

Stockgrove Country Park, Beds.

I had just started to focus on this spider when it lifted its abdomen and started to fire web into the air. I couldn't make out where it was aiming until I realised that it must be an overhanging branch about 8 feet away - there was nothing else it could be.

Anyway it kept firing silk for some time - long enough for me to get several pics from different angles. The first pic below was the best of the "silk firing" shots. The spider then turned round and started to quickly move its front four legs in a sort of cycling fashion. It became clear as web started to "bird's nest" in its front legs that it was winding in the strands of silk. The second pic shows this action.

The ball of silk "disappeared" under its head and (although I couldn't make it out for sure) I presumed that the spider had eaten it.

It then took up station holding taught lines of thread. I have several shots showing this but have not posted them.

From previous posts of this species I'm guessing that a firm id will not be possible? However any help in this area welcome.

....and any info about what is going on and on the distance involved also welcome.

Bruce

Hedera · #2 (**permalink**) 20-10-2009, 11:53 AM

Fascinating! Lovely clear shots, but I don't know this species. The making of webs has been of great interest to me. The distance of the supporting "ropes" all getting to where the web is can't be just luck or wind carrying the thread. The longest iI have measured is from a plum tree to my greenhouse apex 10ft. belonging to an A. diadematus.

serendipity · #3 (**permalink**) 20-10-2009, 01:09 PM

maybe it was just firing the thread out blindly hoping it would attach to something and when it didnt reeled it in and recycled it for another go somewhere else!

No.9 Spider · #4 (**permalink**) 20-10-2009, 01:27 PM

The spider looks like a young member of the Lycosidae family - the Wolf spider which are a ground dwelling species, and do not spin webs for prey capture.
I assume this is quite a small specimen, comparative to adult size anyway.
What you are witnessing is probably 'ballooning', more commonly noted in the Linyphiidae species (Money spiders). It's basically a method of dispersal for spiderlings generally, where the web will catch the breeze and parachute the spider to wherever. Ballooning spiders have been known to land on ships hundreds of miles from land.
The spider having made a failed attempt will probably consume the precious silk it's used.

No.9 Spider

Bruce Williams · #5 (**permalink**) 20-10-2009, 07:59 PM

Thanks for all your comments, help and suggestions guys.

The spider measures 5.5mm - what would be the full grown size do you think?

I'm pretty sure that at least some of the web managed to attach to something? I have a photo taken shortly after the winding was complete and the spider appears to be holding onto a taught length of silk leading off in same direction as fire/wind pics - I'll post it tomorrow.

Bruce

No.9 Spider · #6 (**permalink**) 21-10-2009, 08:52 AM

At that sort of size (a couple of mm's if that, off full size dependent upon species) I would have thought it a bit on the big side to be trying ballooning antics

, but who knows?

No.9 Spider

ChrisR · #7 (**permalink**) 21-10-2009, 09:11 AM

Stunning shots there - well done

What camera/lens/flash kit are you using to get those shots?

Rossco · #8 (**permalink**) 21-10-2009, 10:40 AM

Good shots, Bruce.

Like No.9 spider said, this is definitely a wolf spider of some sort and it's too big to balloon as it's typically very young spiderlings that are sufficiently small to be carried in to the air by the silk they pay out. Perhaps it thought it could get airborne, but then realised it was too fat and decided to eat the silk it had produced.

Ballooning is the spider's trump card as it allows them to disperse over huge distances. Much of the aeroplankton that circulates in the atmosphere consists of ballooning spiders. The first animals to reach oceanic islands wiped clean or created by geological action are spiders with their brilliant adaptation for long-distance dispersal.

Bruce Williams · #9 (**permalink**) 21-10-2009, 05:52 PM

No.9 Spider and Rossco - Thanks for your help with info and suggestions.

Just to reassure you, my size estimate is fairly accurate as I always manually set focus to closest possible (unless subject too large) and then to estimate size I overlay with a semi-transparent shot of a ruler also taken at closest focus.

Chris - Thanks for your comments .

I use a Nikon D300 + Nikon 105mm Macro VR lens. In this instance I was using a Nikon SB-R1 Macro flash unit (with 2 x SB-R200 flash units + diffusers) controlled by camera's pop-up flash. Exposure, focus and flash were all controlled manually.

As promised here's the pic of the spider holding the silk line taken very shortly after completing the rewind:

Bruce: