Brown Uloborid spider - Uloboris congregabilis

FAMILY ULOBORIDAE


Body length 6mm

Spiders in this Uloboridae family do not have poison glands. They capture prey only rely on wrapping by silk. They build small incomplete orb web, mostly horizontal, usually not as perfect as those built by spiders in other web building families. They use different type of silk, known as cribellate silk which is woolly appearance.



This is a small spider and dull brown in colour. The humped abdomen is in triangular profile. It builds small horizontal or inclined orb webs.



Next to the spider web we found a group of young spiders of about 2mm size. They are shiny black in colour, have the same body shape as their mother.

Reference:
1. A Guide to Australian Spiders - Densey Clyne, Melbourne, Nelson 1969, p33.
2. Philoponella species - The Find-a-spider Guide for Australian Spiders, University of Southern Queensland, 2009.
3. Philoponella congregabilis - Save Our Waterways Now.