User:Omnighost547/sandbox
Oh hai.[edit]
Just getting used to wiki markup. Omnighost547 (talk) 21:38, 30 July 2020 (UTC)
Stegodyphus lineatus[edit]
Behaviour[edit]
Stegodyphus lineatus can be found in desert habitats, especially in the Negev desert in Israel and dry Mediterranean climates.[1] These spiders build a web between twigs, mostly residing in low thorny shrubs. They prefer to build their webs in prey concentrated areas; in the desert, this usually means being near plant growth, which would attract prey like pollinating insects.[1] The web has a diameter of about 30 cm and is attached to a retreat made out of silk and covered with debris and food remains. The retreat is a cone-shaped structure about 5 cm long, which has an entrance at one end. The spiderlings hatch in this retreat, being released from their cocoon by their mother and then protected by her for another two weeks. Web-building behavior uses up time and energy, but provides an advantage in the ability to catch prey. Fixing and constructing webs occurs only at night, but prey capture can occur during the day or at night. Both males and females can make webs to capture prey, but males may leave their web in search of mates.[1] Adult males can be found in spring. Males are known to exhibit infanticide, by killing the offspring of already-mated females. Females are able to lay more than one clutch, which means infanticide can provide the male an opportunity to mate with the female. Offspring are matriphagous, meaning they eat their own mother.[2]