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Dolomedes minor actively hunts and scavenge for food at night. The prey spectrum of the spider consists of a variety of small organisms including locusts, other spiders, Dobsonfly larvae, earthworms, bees and other small insects. | Dolomedes minor actively hunts and scavenge for food at night. The prey spectrum of the spider consists of a variety of small organisms including locusts, other spiders, Dobsonfly larvae, earthworms, bees and other small insects. | ||
[ | [[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor b-33.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] <br /> | ||
[ | [[File:1-Dolomedes minor web nest.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Female<br /> | Female<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor .JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] <br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor -004.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
A male The males are much smaller with thinner legs. A leg of this male was 2 cm long, Body 14 mm long<br /> | A male The males are much smaller with thinner legs. A leg of this male was 2 cm long, Body 14 mm long<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:1-Male Dolomedes minor.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
A male<br /> | A male<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:1-Male Dolomedes minor-001.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
A male, notice the swollen palps.<br /> | A male, notice the swollen palps.<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:1-Male Dolomedes minor-003.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Female of a darker colouration.<br /> | Female of a darker colouration.<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor -001.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Female.<br /> | Female.<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor .JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
[ | [[File:Dolomedes minor Nursery Spider 1 .JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
The Dolomedes minor spider in the photo below has a leg span of 6 cm.[ | The Dolomedes minor spider in the photo below has a leg span of 6 cm.[[File:Dolomedes minor Nursery Spider-11.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Close up of a female Dolomedes minor head showing fangs and palps. The palps in the front are used for sensory purposes. In the male the palps are modified for putting sperm into the epigyne of the female, that is situated on the underside of the abdomen. The jaws are located below the eyes and are called chelicera. The piercing parts of these jaws are the fangs that deliver the venom via a small hole at its tip. <br /> | Close up of a female Dolomedes minor head showing fangs and palps. The palps in the front are used for sensory purposes. In the male the palps are modified for putting sperm into the epigyne of the female, that is situated on the underside of the abdomen. The jaws are located below the eyes and are called chelicera. The piercing parts of these jaws are the fangs that deliver the venom via a small hole at its tip. <br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor -002.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
[ | [[File:Head of Dolomedes minor Nursery Spider.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
[ | [[File:Dolomedes minor Nursery Spider.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Dorsal view of a Dolomedes minor.<br /> | Dorsal view of a Dolomedes minor.<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Spider dorsal anatomy 2.jpg|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Ventral view of a female Dolomedes minor<br /> | Ventral view of a female Dolomedes minor<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Spider vental view-001.jpg|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
A juvenile nursery spider<br /> | A juvenile nursery spider<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Dolomedes minor.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
A nursery spiders nursery web and her eggsac inside<br /> | A nursery spiders nursery web and her eggsac inside<br /> | ||
[[File:Nursery spider Dolomedes minor nurseryweb and egg sac.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | |||
Inside a nursery spiders nursery web, The egg sac from which the spiderlings have left can be seen bottom left.[[File:Nursery spider nest and spiderlings.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | |||
Inside a nursery spiders nursery web, The egg sac from which the spiderlings have left can be seen bottom left.[ | |||
The spidering have obtained the adult shape and are just about to disperse by ballooning<br /> | The spidering have obtained the adult shape and are just about to disperse by ballooning<br /> | ||
[ | [[File:Dolomedes minor nursery spider nest.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] | ||
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | ||
Latest revision as of 15:23, 24 September 2019
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Pisauridae
Genus: Dolomedes
Species: D. minor
Scientific name: Dolomedes minor
Common name: Nursery Spider
Nursery web spiders are large and fast-moving with a leg span of six centimetres or more in adult females. Males are somewhat smaller. These spiders are typically pale brown or greyish in colour with yellow bordering around the cephalothorax (the frontal portion of the spider that bears the legs, fangs, and eyes).
The D. minor species typically has a substantial yellowish stripe running lengthwise from the front to the middle of the abdomen (the rear portion of the spider). .The males are much smaller with thinner legs. Dolomedes minor can be found throughout New Zealand.
Nursery web spiders are known for their webs, yet they do not use them to catch prey. The webs of these spiders are a common sight on gorse and other shrubs and are, as the name suggests, literally nurseries for young spiderlings.During summer, the female nursery web spider can be seen roaming about carrying a large white ball underneath her. This is her egg sac and she carries it everywhere in her fangs until her young are ready to emerge. When this time comes, she takes the egg sac to the top of a tree or shrub and constructs the nursery web. The mother stays close, and during the day can often be found near the base of the plant where she has deposited her young. Secure inside the nursery web, the young spiderlings emerge from the eggsac and remain here for about a week or so before dispersing by ballooning.
Dolomedes minor actively hunts and scavenge for food at night. The prey spectrum of the spider consists of a variety of small organisms including locusts, other spiders, Dobsonfly larvae, earthworms, bees and other small insects.
Female
A male The males are much smaller with thinner legs. A leg of this male was 2 cm long, Body 14 mm long
A male
A male, notice the swollen palps.
Female of a darker colouration.
Female.
The Dolomedes minor spider in the photo below has a leg span of 6 cm.
Close up of a female Dolomedes minor head showing fangs and palps. The palps in the front are used for sensory purposes. In the male the palps are modified for putting sperm into the epigyne of the female, that is situated on the underside of the abdomen. The jaws are located below the eyes and are called chelicera. The piercing parts of these jaws are the fangs that deliver the venom via a small hole at its tip.
Dorsal view of a Dolomedes minor.
Ventral view of a female Dolomedes minor
A juvenile nursery spider
A nursery spiders nursery web and her eggsac inside
Inside a nursery spiders nursery web, The egg sac from which the spiderlings have left can be seen bottom left.
The spidering have obtained the adult shape and are just about to disperse by ballooning
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
