Subspecies
Original description
Synonyms
Aranea
alsine Walckenaer, 1802
Araneus alsine (Walckenaer,
1802)
Epeira alsine (Walckenaer,
1802)
Epeira lutea C.
L. Koch, 1837
Araneus luteus (C.
L. Koch, 1837)
Epeira bohemica
C. L. Koch, 1838
Other German names are: Goldkreuzspinne,
Orangerote Kreuzspinne, Rote Kreuzspinne.
Identification
Body size: females usually about 7-15 mm, large
specimens may reach 20 mm. Males usually much
smaller, 5-6 mm, maximally 9 mm. The color of the
opisthosoma is a bright golden orange, with many
small white or yellow and a few black specks and
markings. The rest of the body is of a
golden-brown color. There is some variation in the
intensity of the color and some specimens may be
rather pale yellow, while other specimens may be
almost purple. Males are generally darker than the
females.
Distribution
Northern Europe. Less frequent in Central Europe.
Biology
The
animals build their webs close to the ground. This
species guards its web not sitting in the web, but
sitting next to it in a hiding-place made from a
dried leaf. The edges of the leaf are spun
together thus giving the leaf the shape of a cone.
This leaf-cone is hanging free next to the web, suspended on a
few silk threads. The adults spend most of
their life in their leaf-cones.
Araneus alsine
requires damp glades and marshes, a typical
forest species. The animals prefer tall plant
growth (e.g. taller grass species) and avoid
plant patches in direct sunlight. Adults can
be found from June to July.
The species is
considered to be rare in Germany by some
authors, while other authors assume that the
species is quite common, but frequently
overlooked because of its habit to hide in a
dry leaf. The true status of this species in
Germany is unclear.
This page has been updated on May 11, 2012
This site is online since May 31, 2005
Copyright © by Nikola-Michael Prpic. All
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