Purse-web spider
The purse-web spider is a unique arachnid known for its distinctive web-like nest, which resembles a purse. This spider typically measures between 1/3 to 2/3 inch (7 to 15 millimeters) in length, with a body divided into two main parts: the cephalothorax and the abdomen. The cephalothorax features two large venomous fangs and serves as the spider's head and mid-body, while the rounded abdomen houses most internal organs. Found primarily in the forests and savannahs of southern England, the British Isles, the Iberian Peninsula, and North Africa, these spiders dig deep burrows and create sealed silken tubes where they wait for prey.
Purse-web spiders primarily feed on insects that venture onto the top of their silk purse, using their fangs to strike and drag prey inside for consumption. Mating occurs in warmer months, with males luring females out of their nests for direct fertilization. After mating, the female lays eggs in the web, and the hatchlings emerge after six months, maturing over 3 to 4 years. The lifespan of purse-web spiders ranges from 4 to 10 years, with an average of about 8 years.
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Subject Terms
Purse-web spider
The purse-web spider is named for the kind of web-like nest it weaves.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Atypidae
Genus: Atypus
Species: Affinis
The purse-web spider grows to around 1/3 to 2/3 inch (7 to 15 millimeters) long. Like other spiders, its body is divided into two main parts—the cephalothorax and abdomen. The cephalothorax consists of the head and thorax, or mid-body section. The eight legs of the purse-web spider are connected to the lower portion of the cephalothorax. From the front of the cephalothorax are two large venomous fangs. The cephalothorax is sometimes called the prosoma. The purse-web spider's abdomen is the large, brown, rounded, lower portion of the spider. Most of the purse-web spider's internal organs are in this body section. The abdomen is also called the opisthosoma.
The purse-web spider is commonly found in forests and savannahs of southern England, the British Isles, the Iberian peninsula, and North Africa. They dig burrows up to 35 1/2 inches (90 centimeters) deep in the ground. The purse-web spider creates a sealed silken tube up to nine inches (23 centimeters) long. After spinning the purse web around itself, the purse-web spider waits for prey.
Scientists spent many years determining how the purse-web spider preyed on insects from within its sealed web. Finally, it was discovered that the purse-web spider feeds on insects that wander across the top of the purse. Insects like beetles and grasshoppers often investigate the webbed purse of the purse-web spider. As insects crawl across the top of the purse, the spider stabs the insect from below and drags the body into the purse web. The body is placed in the back of the web while the spider mends the tear. After mending the tear, the purse-web spider tends to its meal.
Mating between purse-web spiders is similar to mating between other members of the subclass Mygalomorphae. Since only the female purse-web spider builds a web, the male can roam and mate. During the mating season in the warm months, the male purse-web spider finds a female with which to mate and lures her out of her nest. After leaving her nest the male and female purse-web spider mate. Like other spiders, mating takes place through direct fertilization. This means the male releases sperm in the female's body to fertilize her eggs. After mating, the female lays eggs in the web. The hatchlings, or young, break free from their eggs after 6 months and leave their mother's nest. They reach maturity after 3 to 4 years.
The life span of the purse-web spider is 4 to 10 years, though most live around 8 years.
Bibliography
Baker, Nick. "Meet the Purse-web Spider, Britain's Very Own Tarantula." Discover Wildlife, 9 Nov. 2023, www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/insects-invertebrates/purse-web-spider-britains-tarantula. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Bandar, Lama. "Atypus Affinis." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Atypus‗affinis. Accessed 1 May 2024.