There once was a very small spider, called a dew drop spider (Genus Argyrodes) who lived above the web of a very large orb weaver spider (Red-Femurred Spotted Orb Weaver, Neoscona domiciliorum). This is their story.
I passed by a web around 9 am on Saturday, August 19, 2017 with a group of birders. We noticed a shiny spider hanging out in the sunshine. It was dangling by very thin threads just over the center of the web. My very knowledgeable boss, Keith McCullough, informed us that these shiny spiders are called dew drop spiders and they are "klepto-parasites". They hang out in the webs of larger spiders and steal their prey! The larger spider we found after a few minutes of inspection. It was hiding in the eaves of the kiosk outside of the web. Spotted orb weavers are known to be nocturnal, so it would be expected not to be in the web. These two organisms seeming to live side-by-side in peace.
Argyrodes spp.
Argyrodes spp.
Neoscona domiciliorum
We circled back to the kiosk about an hour later. It appeared as though the larger spider had died or was at the least, paralyzed. It was completely unresponsive to touch. It's legs were bound in a fine web and gathered at the tips. Upon closer inspection, we noticed the dew drop spider crawling all over the orb weaver. We thought that there was no way the tiny spider could have influenced the larger spider's demise. We thought that maybe something else paralyzed the spider and the dew drop spider moved in for the prize. And yet, it seemed odd the orb weaver was bound in the dew drop spiders fine tendrils
I went back to the computer and did a bit of research on the dew drop spider. We have several species, and I did not determine definitively which one is playing the leading role in this story. I discovered several species have been known to do some pretty interesting things. They eat many things in the web including the very large host spiders that build the web, specifically large orb weavers in the Neoscona genus, just like the one in the web (Exline and Levi, 1962). I was astounded. I had to go back and see it again. Another hour or two later, I went to check the web and the dew drop spider seemed to be watching over her prey from nearby. The orb weaver was still unresponsive. At this point, I noticed several other dew drops in the web. I'm not sure if they gather up to get a piece of the meal or if they were there the whole time.
Neoscona tangled in Argyrodes web
Neoscona tangled in Argyrodes web
The whole episode was purely fascinating. I had no idea such things took place. Days later, I checked the web again. It was practically gone; disintegrated by the wind, bugs, and whatever other forces wreak havoc in the spiders world. The dew drop spiders were nowhere to be seen, but the orb weaver was still evidenced in a dried, small, mummy spider dangling by a thread.
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