Tiny spider

[Jacqueline Burrell]

We have dozens of these spiders both indoors and out but I have never yet seen one walking. They hang upside down or vertically from the ceiling, window frames etc, and if disturbed spin a thread. Outside, they are on the mosquito netting and spin elaborate webs between plant leaves, the mango trees are one of its favourites. Sometimes the webs are intricate while others are just a jumble of threads.

Fully extended they are never more than a centimetre but often much smaller. I found the discarded skin of one which measured 50 millimetres.

I have not managed to track down any arachnologists in Egypt, so does anyone know at least what family it might belong to?

[gnr479]

Hello Jacqueline

Your spider would appear to be a member of the family Uloboridae.Sorry I cannot go beyond that.They are a distinct family to identify,but without a specimen to study under a microscope not easy to identify to species!.

Best regards

Glyn Nicholson-Ross

[Jacqueline Burrell]

Hello Jacqueline

Your spider would appear to be a member of the family Uloboridae.Sorry I cannot go beyond that.They are a distinct family to identify,but without a specimen to study under a microscope not easy to identify to species!.

Best regards

Glyn Nicholson-Ross


Thanks for your help Glyn, knowing the family is a good start for a complete novice.

Having noticed that they stay in the same location for weeks on end, I now have one as a ‘pet’. Although I have no evidence that it’s a female, she’s called Medya.

She’s housed in a large glass jar which she has decorated beautifully in a shaded part of our terrace where there are lots of small flying insects especially when I water the plants at dusk.

Best regards

In order to study her more closely, I occasionally ‘sacrifice’ a cockroach and I am amazed at the size of insect she’ll devour in a matter of minutes.

[Jacqueline Burrell]

The spider has been identified as Uloborus plumipes.