Arrow-shaped Micrathena
Micrathena sagittata
This small orb-weaving spider lives in woodland edges, shrubs, and forest clearings in eastern North America, where it builds a round web to catch flying insects. It waits in the web or nearby vegetation, relying on stillness, its angular outline, and bright warning colors to discourage predators. Its diet is mainly small flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and other insects trapped in silk. The female is famous for her arrow-shaped abdomen with paired black-tipped spines, a form that makes her look much larger and harder to swallow than she really is.
- Type
- Stealth / Shell
- Conservation status
- NE