Biology Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [arachnology]

Arachnology is the scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids. It can include the study of ticks and mites which is sometimes also called acarology.

Arachnology is the scientific study of arachnids. It can include the study of ticks and mites which is sometimes also called acarology.

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What is this spider with blue striped head?

I found this spider on the balcony of a Brisbane, Australia quarantine hotel. About 1.5cm. Anyone know what it is?
Kels
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Hundreds of Red Spiders in Individual Webs

I live in the USA in south Louisiana. I woke up this morning to find my yard covered in hundreds of spider webs. Each of those little white puffs is a spider web. Inside of each web is one little red spider. The spiders are pretty small. Less than…
Ghostship
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Identify fuzzy black quarter sized spider with orange on abdomen, in Minnesota

Found this spider on my car in Minnesota near St Paul (USA). Total size including the legs (end of rear leg to end of front leg in picture) is probably about the size of a quarter.
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Are these spider eggs?

I was pulling weeds in my backyard in Southern California, when I saw a spider over a white area on the underside of one of the leaves. It's staying right near the white spot. Are those spider eggs? Also, what kind of spider is this?
A L
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How much energy does a small spider expend per day just waiting for its web to vibrate?

Roughly speaking, a small, complex electronic circuit or IC might sit in "sleep mode" using a current of roughly 1 µA (e.g. 1, 2), thereby using roughly $3\times 10^{-6}$ Watts, and that converts to roundly $2.5\times 10^{-6}$ kcal/hour or $62\times…
uhoh
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Can spider silk be synthesized to be used for 3D printing?

With the recent rise in 3D printing, I keep hearing about more novel ways to use the technology: cell 3D printing, liquid aluminum or plastic 3D printing. For example, this Ted talk deals with printing a human kidney. What interests me is if the…
Alex Stone
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Did I just watch a spider die?

So I'm sitting in my office and all of a sudden a small spider is gliding down on a web string from the ceiling, right in front of my eyes, and down onto my desk. It proceeds to make a few awkward movements which looked like it was having problems…
drmccoy
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Do spiders learn how to build webs?

Concerning spiders, is there any research on whether web-building is an inherited behavior, or if it must be observed and learned? e.g. Has anyone hatched spider eggs in isolation and observed whether the descendants still know how to build a web?
Martin Fürholz
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Why is funnel web spider venom so lethal to humans and not so much for other mammals?

According to the information from this article, People and other primates are exquisitely sensitive to funnel web venom but, intriguingly, other mammals such as mice, rabbits, guineapigs, dogs and cats are relatively immune and often survive 100…
user3795
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Species Identification: Red velvety insect, India

What species is this? Description: Location: India These insects came out just after overnight rain. They were all over the place. Their body looks like velvet. Are these insects poisonous?
nrb
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Do trap door spiders have 10 legs?

I was reading this National Geographic article, 50 New Spiders Discovered In Australia when I became confused by the two trapdoor spider species photographed. I looked up trapdoor spiders and looking at pictures, they all seem to me to have five…
anongoodnurse
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What kind of spider is this?

I spotted this spider in my garden (Northern UK). The body is about 20mm long, and it's made a sizeable (50cm) web on a wall. There's another semi-identical one on a nearby hedge. What kind is it?
Valorum
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Evolution of spider webs?

Web making seems like a fairly complex behavior built from a pretty strong material. So how exactly did it evolve? Do we have any clues about what kind of features/behaviors preceded web making and made it possible? Are there any examples of…
mrt
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Spider Identification Illinois

I noticed a really huge, beautiful web on my porch last week, and tonight, I discovered its resident. I'm thinking it's an Araneus diadematus (Cross Orbweaver), but I was hoping for some confirmation. Can anyone confirm this or offer a better…
Dan
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What biological constraints are there on how large a spider can grow?

Spiders fascinate me, but what intrigues me the most is just how big some spiders can get, which leads me to my question. What biological constraints (if any) would limit how large a spider could grow, given ample food and no predators?
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