Amaurobius ferox
Encyclopedia
Amaurobius ferox, sometimes known as the black lace-weaver is a spider
belonging to the family Amaurobiidae. It is distributed in Europe
and North America
and has been introduced into New Zealand
.
The female of this species is around 16 mm in length (excluding legs). It is very dark brown to black overall. The abdomen
is rounded and bears indistinct yellowish markings. The male is similar but smaller (length about 11 mm) and more slender. The eggs
are laid in a white sac in a sheltered place. The female usually guards the sac until the eggs have hatched. This species has been known to bite man.
Amaurobius ferox is a matriphagous spider, meaning that the young devour the mother after hatching. First she lays a second set of eggs on which the newly-hatched spiders feed. Then a few days later she actively encourages her offspring to devour her.
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
belonging to the family Amaurobiidae. It is distributed in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and has been introduced into New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The female of this species is around 16 mm in length (excluding legs). It is very dark brown to black overall. The abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
is rounded and bears indistinct yellowish markings. The male is similar but smaller (length about 11 mm) and more slender. The eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
are laid in a white sac in a sheltered place. The female usually guards the sac until the eggs have hatched. This species has been known to bite man.
Amaurobius ferox is a matriphagous spider, meaning that the young devour the mother after hatching. First she lays a second set of eggs on which the newly-hatched spiders feed. Then a few days later she actively encourages her offspring to devour her.