This spider, less than 1/2 inch long sits with its head down mostly on vegetation near its web. It has an intricate “arabesque” pattern on its back. These two specimens (A,B) were identified with the help of BugGuide, but the genus Neoscona is usually not easily identified down to below genus level.
This is a common orb-weaver spider found throughout the U.S. and Canada. Females build a vertical web. At night she rests in the center of the orb with the tip of her abdomen pushed through the open space. During the day she hides in a retreat away from the web, usually inside a curled-up leaf. Image (A) was taken on Scouring Rush along MRE Trail at Neale Woods. Image (B) was taken of a specimen along Cottonwood Trail.
The Ichneumon Wasp, Acrotaphus wiltii, is a parasite of this orbweaver. The wasp stings the spider to briefly paralyze it while she lays a single egg on it. The wasp larva is an external parasite.
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