| Theridiosoma gemmosum (L. Koch, 1877) |
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Scientific name: Theridiosoma gemmosum (L. Koch, 1877) Common name: French name: Théridiosome précieuse Order: Araneae Family: Theridiosomatidae Size: 1.5 mm to 2 mm for males, 2 to 2.3 mm for females. Biotope: Low growing vegetation in damp places, bogs, pond banks, mainly in woodland areas. Web: Flat orb web close to water. An horizontal alert silk thread runs from the centre of the web to vegetation nearby. The spider can pull this thread so that the orb web shape becomes conical. Observation period: April to September. Geographic area: North América, Europe east to central Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran. |
Theridiosoma gemmosum is a tiny spider showing a silvery spherical abdomen marked with irregular black patterns. The cephalothorax is pale brown with a darker area near the eyes. The legs are brown and sometimes dotted or ringed with dark. Females which lay their eggs early summer hook spherical smooth cocoons to vegetation with a very long single thread. Spiders of the Mimetidae family also produce similar cocoons but their surface is not smooth. It is covered by a wiry silk. |
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I have photographed this cocoon in the low growing vegetation bordering a small stream. The surface of the cocoon looking like smooth cardboard is the key to identify the species. I just need to go back over there to try to see the spider but this is another challenge! |
André Bon March 2021