International   

The mega-web they have spun

PHOTO: AP

The trap: Lake Tawakoni State Park rangers monitor a giant communal spider web at the park, near Willis Point. —

WILLS POINT: A species of spider collaborated to create a sprawling web that blanketed 182 metres of trees and shrubs at a North Texas park, according to entomologists who studied the unusual formation.

Heavy rains early this summer created prime feeding conditions for the spiders, which worked collectively to spin a web that nearly covered a pond ripe with mosquitoes and other insects.

“Normally they are cannibalistic and their webs are separated,” Allen Dean, a Texas A&M University entomologist, told The Dallas Morning News. “They live in harmony because there’s so much food available.”

The web was weaved over part of a trail at Lake Tawakoni State Park, about 72 km east of Dallas. The August discovery of the massive web spurred debate among entomologists about its origin and rarity.

Mr. Dean studied 250 specimens and identified 12 families of spiders in the same web. The most prevalent type is from the Tetragnathidae family, which typically weave individual orb-shaped webs, he said.

Arachnid expert Hank Guarisco travelled from Kansas to take a look for himself.

He camped at the park, observing the spiders at night because some of them are nocturnal.

Heavy rain and wind have weighted or torn down much of the web, park volunteers said.

Researchers said the spiders are still weaving fresh webs between storms. There continue to be lots of egg sacks, which can hold dozens or hundreds of eggs, Mike Quinn, a biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, told the Morning News.

“The continuing number of egg sacks suggests high productivity, as biologists say,” Mr. Quinn said. “The females are fat and happy so to speak. They have done well so far by laying so many eggs that the spiders continue to prosper.” — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Ten killed in massive earthquake
Abe’s decision, a surprise U-turn
Russia unveils “father of all bombs”
Zubkov is Russian Premier
Red List released
The century plant springs a surprise
The politics of comic books
The mega-web they have spun

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu