X marks the spot. Only in this case, the treasure is a brightly-coloured spider. The Signature Spider gets its name from the four unique zig-zag patterns it weaves in the centre of its web. The decoration resembles letters, usually the letter ‘X’. These patterns are named Stabilimentum, and are believed to serve the purposes:, of attracting insects and warning larger creatures of the presence of the web.
These spiders build their webs quite close to the ground so as to catch low-flying insects such as bees, wasps, and butterflies. Though they typically prey on small insects, they are capable of killing something twice their own size. Signature Spiders also stay stationary at the centre of the web, usually holding their legs together in pairs. This creates the illusion that they are four-legged creatures to potential prey.
When the web is complete, they line up their legs with the white strips of the ‘X’ pattern and rest at the web’s hollow centre. The hair on their intertwined legsact as a sun reflector, along with the white X in its web, giving the appearance of a brightly-coloured flower to attract insects. More often than not, insects fall for this colourful deception.
Like most spider species, females Signature Spiders are considerably larger than the males. The males usually build a web alongside the female’s, and this web is called a companion web. The eggs are laid on this web and are wrapped in a sac.
A spider is not an insect. It belongs to an invertebrate class of animals known as Arachnids. A quick test to confirm if something is an insect is to look at its legs: six make it an insect. Spiders play a vital role in maintaining the health of an ecosystem. They are natural biological pest controllers. Clear spider webs at home, but let them spin a web of intrigue in your backyard.
The writer is the founder of NINOX - Owl About Nature, a nature-awareness initiative. He is the Delhi-NCR reviewer for Ebird, a Cornell University initiative, monitoring rare sightings of birds. He formerly led a programme at WWF India.
