Furrow Orbweaver

Fascinating facts about the Furrow Orbweaver

• The furrow orbweaver, Larinioides cornutus, does not hibernate in winter but follows an annual cycle of seasonal resistance, with its supercooling point falling to minus 20 °C in the coldest months. The spider is most often found in moist areas near water.
• In summer the furrow orbweaver can survive temperatures down to minus 8 °C, but as winter arrives its supercooling point drops dramatically to minus 20 °C, illustrating a clear seasonal shift in cold tolerance. This change is a component of its year-long resistance cycle, enabling the spider to stay active through frosty periods.
• The furrow orbweaver can detect sound thanks to specialised hairs on its legs; macrosetae and filiform hairs act as vibration sensors. Its eye arrangement consists of a horizontal row of six eyes with an additional pair above the centre.
• During daylight the furrow orbweaver stays concealed in a silken retreat that opens at its base. The retreat is camouflaged with bits of plant and animal debris, blending into the moist grass or low shrubbery where it lives. At night it emerges to rebuild its orb web, which it constructs anew each evening. This nightly reconstruction lets it capture prey while remaining hidden during the day.
• After copulation the male inserts sperm with his pedipalps and then remains with the female during the autumn and spring mating periods. During this time the female emits pheromones that keep the male nearby while the eggs develop. Once mating is complete, males typically die, and they are often consumed by the female. This post-mating fate is a common outcome for this species.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Furrow Orbweaver

In the misty dawn, the Furrow Orbweaver emerges, its delicate, lace-like web glistening with dew as it sets about reweaving the intricate patterns that are its lifeblood. With an unhurried, almost meditative air, this ingenious spider navigates its domain, repairing and reinforcing the radial threads that will ensnare the unsuspecting flies that dance in the morning light. As it moves, the Furrow Orbweaver's slender, elongated body seems to embody the very essence of patience and calculation, a testament to the remarkable, if unassuming, beauty of this oft-overlooked arachnid.

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