Nursery web Spider
This slender spider,
with four sets of forward facing eyes, actively hunts on the ground,
as well as in low vegetation. The male spider, presents the female with
an insect wrapped in silk, to entice the female in to courtship. The
larger the gift, the longer the copulation will last, guaranteeing a
higher percentage of eggs being fertilized. The female carries the fertilized
eggs around in a large sac, until it is time for the spiderlings to
hatch. The egg-sac is attached to a leaf, after witch she proceeds to
spin a protective silk nursery around it, before slightly opening the
sac. The female stands guard until all offspring has safely emerged.
Small detail, The
spider in the last picture, seems to miss one of her right front legs.
As you can see, in the sadow of the left leg, she normally holds her
four front legs together as if it were two single legs. This is one
of the characteristic traits of the nursery web spider.
Click
on the images to see the full high-res version.