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Other Strange Spiders

spider in its leaf retreatRed Tent Spider
Cyrtophora unicolor

This spider builds a large three-dimensional web in vegetation. The web usually has one or two curled up dried leaves in the centre, giving the appearance that the spider is a poor housekeeper. But this is far from the truth.
Mangrove and wetland wildlife at
Sungei Buloh Nature Park
Main features: Large (female, 17-20mm) reddish.

Status in Singapore: Common in rural areas and jungle fringes.

World distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia.		 close-up of spider
Classification: Family Araneidae (Orb Web Spiders).
The spider has carefully chosen and placed the leaf there and ingeniously hides inside. If you find a web that is built above eye level, you can easily spot this beautiful large spider by looking up into the underside of the curled up leaf. (On low webs, you'll have to stoop down and look up). If you see a lot of leaves in the web, however, it usually means that the spider is no longer in the web to keep it tidy.

web showing silken tunnelBeccari's Tent Spider
Cyrtophora beccarii

This spider also builds a three-dimensional web in vegetation. Unlike the Red Tent's web, it is free of dried leaves. Instead, the spider builds a silken tube at the heart of the web.
Main features: Small (female, 8-9mm) white abdomen.

Status in Singapore: Common in vegetation in mangrove swamps and along rural settlements

World distribution: India, Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea.
close-up of female with white abdomen
Photo from
Joseph K H Koh
Classification: Family Araneidae (Orb Web Spiders).
spider near its silken tunnel, well disguisedThe spider is nocturnal and during the day usually stays safe inside its silky hideaway. Its white abdomen helps it blend in nicely with the white silken tube. The eggcase is also safely tucked into this silken tube. The web can range from tiny ones smaller than a fist to mediums sized ones, each with its correspondingly sized silken tube.

The 3-D advantage: Three-dimensional webs work differently from flat orb webs. Orb webs depend on sticky silk to entangle the prey which fly horizontally into the invisible trap. In three-dimensional webs, the silk is not sticky. Flying insects are knocked down by the vertical silk lines onto the horizontal platform, where spider can run out to grab them. One experiment suggests that while orb webs are not waterproof (water droplets remain on the web), three-dimensional webs are, and may thus be more durable in wet habitats. Three-dimensional webs take a long time to build, sometimes up to several nights. Those of the Red Tent Spider can be very large and complex, with a delicate horizontal platform made up of fine, regular netting. The horizontal platform is often dome shaped.

whip spider mimicking a tendrilWhip Spider
Argyrodes flagellum

This strange spider looks like a bit of tendril. It has a long thin abdomen. At rest, it lines up its tiny thin legs to form a straight line.

Only when it moves does it become obvious that it's a spider! These small, superbly camouflaged spiders are understandably rather hard to spot. But when you manage to spot one, it is fascinating to watch.
Main features: Long (24-27mm) greenish.

Status in Singapore: Common in low vegetation in mangrove swamps.
whip spider revealing its legs
Possibly with eggsac?
World distribution: Pakistan, Myanmar, Southeast Asia.

Classification: Family Theridiidae (Comb-footed spiders).

Whip Spiders are more common in vegetation with tendrilly bits like ficus with aerial roots; or among thin grasses.

The Whip Spider does not build a web and instead hangs on a simple Y-shaped silken trap. It may seem impossible for an insect to get snagged onto a single line of silk. One suggestion is that spiders that build such single-line webs lure insects by secreting pheromones. Or by appearing to be an extension of a tendril, the spider may appear to be a safe perch for a small unsuspecting flying insect.

LINKS REFERENCES
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  • Joseph K H Koh, "A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders", BP Guides, Science Centre, 1989 (p. 51 on the Red Tent Spider; p. 49: on Beccari's Tent Spider: habits, habitat, distribution, photos or spider and web).
  • Peter K L Ng and N Sivasothi, "A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore II: Animal Diversity", Singapore Science Centre, 1999 (p. 93 on Beccari's Tent Spider: description, habits, habitat, photos).
 
By Ria Tan, 2001