| Leucauge sp. (White, 1841) |
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Scientific name: Leucauge sp. (White, 1841) Common name: French name: Order: Araneae Family: Tetragnathidae Size: Medium size spiders. As an example Leucauge venusta body measures 4.5 to 8 mm for females and 3.5 to 4 mm for males. Biotope: Depending on species, sunny openings or track sides in secondary or primary forests, edges of lakes or river banks, orchards, parks and gardens. Web: Horizontal or slightly slanted web located in low growing vegetation or in bushes. The radii are rather spaced. The centre shows some kind of hole with a few threads. It is circled by a zone with only radii, preceding the normal web. The spider hangs upside down at the centre of its web, night and day. Observation period: All year round. Geographic area: Tropical regions in Asia, Africa and America. A few species are found in the temperate regions of North America. |
The Leucauge genus includes more than 160 different described species. The spiders of this genus show bright and silvery colours. The abdomen slightly extends over the cephalothorax. The most typical characteristic is the presence of an alignment of long hairs forming some kind of a comb on the femur of legs IV. |
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I have shot this picture while walking along the Roche-Bateau footpath next to the small village of Saül. The alignment of long hairs that you can see on the hind legs femur (especially on the leg which is positioned ahead of the abdomen on the picture) is enough to be sure of the Leucauge genus. This spider really looks like Leucauge venusta, but given the large number of species in this genus and my lack of knowledge about any possible confusion, I have just listed this one as Leucauge sp.. |
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Here is another picture of the same specimen on which you have another angle of view on the alignment of long hairs on femur IV. |
André Bon October 2014