Ever noticed one of these hanging from a shrub? A dead leaf, partly rolled into a curl - evidence of spider silk? I have a total of around 200 decorating 5 acacia shrubs in front of the verandah. Let's see what's inside. A Leaf-curling spider. A male will live at the opposite end of the same leaf as an immature female until she is ready to mate after a final moult. She is safe from predators inside the leaf with just her front legs on the web (she's an orb weaver) and ventures out only to retrieve prey and, at night, to repair the web. They are quite common in Australia's east, so you might want to check out that curled-up dead leaf that seems out of place. You'll need to look closely though - the Leaf-curling Spider is just 14mm small.
1 Comment
Geraldine Anders
1/1/2018 09:15:16 am
Enthralling and toe-curlingly witty account of the leaf-curlers and so information-rich for those like me who know little and love to see the wee-world of wasp, bee and spider loom large like this - thank you so much dear 20-acre blogger.
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