On the left is a photograph of the web of a cross spider. Cross spider: description of the life of a spider with photos, as well as features of the external and internal structure of the cross spider

Cross spiders are a genus of the class of arachnids, numbering about 2 thousand species. They are widespread and are typical representatives of their class.

Crosses live in forests, gardens, and meadows. They weave webs between branches, on buildings, etc. They feed on small insects.

The size of representatives of cross spiders is from 1.5 to 4 cm in females and about 1 cm in males.

The chitinous cuticle of cross spiders is quite thin. The body is divided into a small, slightly elongated, non-segmented cephalothorax and a large, in comparison with it, non-segmented, rounded abdomen. A lighter pattern in the form of a cross is formed on the top of the abdomen. Hence the name of these spiders.

There are four pairs of walking legs on the cephalothorax. In front of them are chelicerae (jaws) and pedipalps (jaws). With the help of the first, the cross spider kills the victim. Their terminal segments are transformed into claws, in which the ducts of the poisonous glands open. The poison has a paralyzing effect. The pedipalps are used to hold the victim, turn it over, and also contain many organs of touch.

At the end of the abdomen there are six arachnoid warts (three pairs). The ducts of the arachnoid glands open in them, of which there can be about 1000. Cross spiders secrete various types cobwebs Some are sticky, others are more durable. When released, the web hardens in air, turning into a fairly strong thread. Spiders weave trapping nets, shelters, cocoons from their webs, and use them to bind prey. The web of the cross spider consists of a strong polygonal base and radial supports and sticky concentric circles. A thread extends from the central part of the web into the spider's shelter. The vibrations of the web when a victim gets into it are transmitted along this thread to the spider, and it crawls out of the shelter.

The cross spider injects not only poison into the victim, but also digestive juices, which break down its tissues, turning it into a liquid pulp. Extraintestinal digestion lasts about an hour. The spider can only eat liquid food, which is completely digested inside its digestive system. Suction of food occurs thanks to the muscular pharynx. There is a stomach, a branched midgut into which the liver ducts open. This is where suction occurs. nutrients into hemolymph (the blood of arthropods mixed with lymph). Undigested residues go into the hindgut and are excreted through the anus.

The circulatory system is characteristic of all arthropods: open. On the dorsal side of the abdomen there is a tubular heart. From the heart, hemolymph is pushed through the vessels to the front of the body, then it pours into the spaces between the organs and flows in the abdominal direction, where it is enriched with oxygen. After this, the hemolymph is again collected in the vessels and sent to the heart.

The respiratory system of the cross spider consists of a pair of pulmonary sacs and tracheae. The lungs are located in the anterior part of the abdomen and contain many leaf-shaped folds in which a lot of hemolymph flows. Tracheas are thin bundles of tubes that penetrate the body. They do not need hemolymph as an intermediary for oxygen transfer.

In cross spiders, the excretory organs are represented by the Malpighian vessels, whose ducts open into the extension of the hindgut (cloaca), and the coxal glands, the ducts of which open at the base of the first pair of walking legs.

In the ventral nerve cord of cross spiders, the ventral ganglia merge. There are 8 simple eyes, which, like all arachnids, have poor vision. The organs of touch, represented by sensitive hairs, are well developed. There are organs of smell and chemical sense.

Cross spiders exhibit sexual dimorphism. Females are larger and kill males after fertilization. The gonads are paired, their common duct opens on the abdomen. The male delivers his reproductive products to the female using the pedipalps. After fertilization, the female weaves a cocoon using a soft silky web. Next, it lays eggs in a cocoon, in which small spiders develop, i.e., development in cross spiders is direct.

The cross spider belongs to the orb-weaving family. They live in almost every country except the southern and northern latitudes. This type is the most common. There are 2000 species of this spider in the world; about 10 species live in Russia. Most often this insect can be found in the Republic of Mordovia, Astrakhan, Smolensk and Rostov regions.

Favorite places of the insect: fields, gardens, shrubs near water bodies, groves, forests; in very rare cases they live on the facades of walls and eaves of buildings. Mostly crosses choose places with very high humidity.

The crowns of trees in neglected gardens or impenetrable forests have become the favorite place of the cross spider. You can determine that this is where this spider lives by its wheel-shaped web. Considering that the web itself is destroyed under the influence of other insects, wind, trees, people, they are forced to unravel it every two days and weave it again.

Appearance of an insect

Because of the peculiar cross on the back, the spider got its name - cross. The cross itself is formed from white and light brown spots. The creature's abdomen is round, brown. There are 4 pairs of legs on the body, which are hypersensitive, and 4 pairs of eyes, aimed at different sides. The insect's eyes allow it to see the world around us from all sides. Interesting detail: Spiders have blurred vision, they see only the outlines of objects or their shadows.

Females are almost twice as large as males. For comparison: the size of females varies between 17-26 centimeters, and males - 10-11 cm. After certain periods, cross spiders molt and shed their chitinous cover. This period is characterized by active growth.

Insects are especially active at night; during the day they hide in their shelters. At night they weave webs. During the day, females can also become active. This could be hunting flies and butterflies. Unique creation freezes in one position, which at first glance gives the impression that he is dead, but this is a trick for the victim.

External structure of the cross spider

Spiders have 8 legs, with very sensitive olfactory organs. Their abdomen is round, resembling a droplet. There are spots on the abdomen that form a cross shape. There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head, which provide a wide view. Poisonous hunter spider, so vision is a matter of life and death for him.

What do amazing insects eat?

This species is a carnivore. For food they need aphids, flies, mosquitoes, and midges. Spiders wait for their potential prey in the middle of the web, to which the signal thread is attached. As soon as an insect flies up to the web and gets into it, then trying to get out, they create vibration in the web, thus the cross in the center receives a signal about a potential victim. Considering that the legs of cross spiders have olfactory organs, they can also hear the prey with their legs.

After receiving a signal, the insect approaches the victim and, with the help of a bite, injects poison into the body - chelicerum. Some krestoviki immediately eat the victim, while others leave food in reserve. They wrap the victim in a web and hide it from prying eyes into the foliage.

These insects eat a lot. During the day they need an amount of food equal to their own weight. The cross spider is almost always on duty, hunting. In just one day Not large number he takes time to rest, while the signal thread remains tied to the leg.

Cross spiders will not eat insects that are too large for them or poisonous. They throw such people out of the web, cutting it off. Dangerous to these creatures are wasps and flies, which leave their larvae on the body of another animal. If such a fly or wasp leaves its larvae on the spider, then they themselves will begin to eat it and develop.

The main differences between the mysterious creature

These spiders belong to the species of dioecious animals. When mating occurred, then the male dies, and the female is actively preparing the cocoon for future offspring. Most often, small egg spiders appear in the fall. At first, the woven cocoon is on the female’s back, and then she carries it to a secluded and safe place. These may be cracks or small holes in the tree bark. New offspring emerge from the cocoon in the spring. They become young individuals ready for mating by the end of summer, and then the old female dies.

At the first stages of their lives, males actively weave webs to provide themselves with food. But as soon as the mating period arrives, they wander around in search of a female. They eat little, and this is reflected in their difference in weight with the female.

When the spider finds a female, it carefully approaches her web, and always spins its own thread in case of retreat. Females may perceive a potential suitor as their victim and lunch. Then the male very carefully tugs the web and as soon as it reacts and throws it at the prey, he runs away along his woven web.

Such games can continue for several minutes until the female realizes that it is her groom who has come. Next, mating occurs, and here the male needs to be alert. Once the process has taken place, the female becomes a hunter again, and the male can become her victim. Therefore, he has to quickly run away after mating is finished.

How do cross spiders reproduce?

From 300 to 800 eggs are placed in a cocoon prepared in advance. They have interesting color amber. Since the cocoon has rather thick walls, future spiderlings are not afraid of either frost or water. In this way, the eggs are stored until spring, and with the onset of warmer weather, young offspring are born. For some time, young spiders sit in a cocoon. This is due to ignorance environment, and their fear of learning new things, but over time they all leave the shelter and begin an independent life.

Considering that insects have very large offspring, natural competition arises for the right to life. Some young spiders get caught in the webs of their relatives and are eaten, and some cannot get food and also die. Therefore, the farther a young spider goes from its cocoon, the better environment it will find and the more chances it will have to survive and develop.

The individuals in question perform all movements only thanks to their web, this is due to the fact that their legs are very weak. They also travel with the help of a fair wind. Interesting fact: On its web, the cross spider can fly up to 400 kilometers.

Cross bite for humans

The cross spider bites and injects its poison not only into insects, but also into humans. Most often this occurs in the case of direct contact between an individual and human hand. It is worth knowing some rules to avoid unpleasant contact with this poisonous spider:

If you are bitten by a crusader spider, the following symptoms will appear within 5 minutes:

Headache;
General weakness;
Aches in the joints, pain throughout the body;
The bite site begins to itch and tingle;
Subcutaneous hemorrhages may be observed.

For humans, the bite of a poisonous cross spider is not fatal, but first aid should not be neglected. The following manipulations should be done:

The bite site is washed with soap and water. To avoid additional infection;
If possible, ice or any other cold object is applied to the bite site;
If you experience a headache or a slight increase in temperature, you can take regular paracetamol;
If you are allergic, then take any antihistamines to avoid a possible exacerbation;
If a child is bitten by a cross spider, do not wait for the body’s reaction; seek help from a doctor.

Benefits of the cross spider for humans

Despite the fact that spiders can inject poison into the human body and pose a danger, their web has beneficial properties and can be used in various fields.

Spider web has an excellent antibacterial effect, so it can be used to disinfect wounds.

In optical instruments where ultra-precision in calculations is needed, the web of this spider is used.

Microbiologists made a discovery and developed a unique air analyzer based on the crusader's web. Exactly the web catches all microparticles, which are in the air, and the composition of the air is determined from them.

Cross spiders are unique animals that can be useful to humanity.

Millions of different spiders live in nature, killing entire armies of insects that are dangerous both to humans and to their homes.

And if not for these arthropods, the number of mosquitoes, moths, aphids and other insects would be much greater, which would cause great discomfort to people and animals.

What it looks like: description, internal and external body structure

One of the most common representatives of the orb-web spider family is the cross spider, which has more than 1,000 species. Let's consider the most prominent representatives of this family, what are the main characteristics of the body structure.

Common crossweed (Araneus diadematus)

This type of cross spider is a small spider.

External characteristics he has the following:

the body of an adult male reaches a maximum of 1.1 cm, females are larger, specimens up to 4.0 cm can be found;
the body cover consists of a durable shell of a yellow-brown hue, which changes during the molting period;
wondering how many legs there are ordinary cross, you need to know that the spider has 8 legs, each of which plays its own role in the life of the arthropod;
sense organs are well developed. The spider has a good sense of smell and taste, thanks to the hairs that cover its entire body, it can easily detect even the slightest vibration or vibration;
four pairs of eyes, each facing in different directions, create a broad horizon.

Important! Despite the large number of eyes, arthropods of this species are myopic. They can only see shadows and the outlines of large objects.

Angular (Araneus angulatus)

Another species of cross spider, which is included in the Red Book in many countries.
External differences represented by the following indicators:

females reach small sizes, a maximum of 1.8 cm, but they are still larger than the male, whose length is only 1.2 cm;
they do not have a cross, instead there are 2 small humps that are located in the abdominal area;
the whole body is dotted with light-colored hairs;
the oral apparatus is located on the cephalothorax;
eyes number 8;
There are 4 pairs of legs on the body.

In general, the body parts and respiratory organs are no different from other representatives.

Marbled (Araneus marmoreus)

This type of spider has its own external differences:

has significant sexual dimorphism. Females grow much larger than males. Their length is up to 18 mm, spiders grow up to 8 mm;
these arthropods are endowed with a wide range of colors and patterns. However, the most common one is the orange belly and black pattern. It is this variation that gives the species its name.

The remaining organs, as well as the digestive and respiratory system the same as those of other spiders of this species.

Where does he live and how long does he live?

Habitat: damp and damp areas. The greatest likelihood of encountering it can occur in places where a large number of trees grow, where they stretch their web, as well as along the banks of reservoirs and even in the attics of various buildings.

Did you know? 2.5 billion years ago the first spiders appeared on Earth, which gave birth to more than 30 thousand species of spiders that live almost everywhere today.

In Russia and former countries The CIS, including Ukraine, is home to more than 30 species of spiders. This species of arthropod is a hermit predator, and main feature his behavior is an extremely negative attitude towards others like himself. At night, these arthropods weave their hunting webs, and during daylight hours they hunt their victims.

What does it eat?

The main thing in the spider's diet are small insects. During the day, the female absorbs food in an amount equal to her weight. When an inedible insect gets into the web, the spider gets rid of it by breaking the threads.
He also tries to avoid flies and wasps, which can lay eggs on other animals. Hunting occurs in two ways: in the center of the web or from a nearby shelter.

The predator is not able to immediately consume food, so it quickly injects aggressive juice into the caught prey, places the prey in a cocoon and waits for the victim’s insides to turn into a nutrient solution. This process takes approximately 1 hour, after which the spider sucks out the prey, leaving the cocoon behind.

Web of the cross spider

All the webs that spiders weave are no different from one another, since the ability to weave webs is inherent in these predators at the genetic level. Only females are engaged in weaving such beautiful, intricate patterns.

Did you know? In microbiology, spider webs are used as the thinnest optical fiber to detect the composition of air in the atmosphere.

The web has strictly 39 radii and 1245 points of their attachment to the spiral, which, in turn, consists of 35 turns. The threads that make up the web are light, but at the same time they are very strong - they are used by tropical residents to weave nets and fishing gear. In addition, the threads are very elastic.
In the process of arranging her creation, the female uses two types of threads. The base and radii are woven from dry fibers of a durable structure without a sticky coating and stretched between the branches.

Then the spider begins to weave threads, which are located from the center to the edges, and a spiral thread, which will be the basis for the catching spiral. After the work has been done, the spider lays a web with an adhesive base from the center of her creation.

The spiders themselves move only along dry threads, so they do not get stuck on their fishing nets. It takes the spider approximately one hour to weave the entire web.

Poisonous or not

The venom of the brown cross contains heat-labile hemolysin, which has a negative effect on blood cells.

However, its dose is so small that it can only harm small animals. A spider bite is not dangerous for humans, but minor injuries may occur. discomfort if you are allergic to animal bites.
At the site of the bite, minor pain and itching occurs quickly. To quickly relieve these symptoms, you need to wash the affected area of skin with soap and apply something cold, ice if possible, then apply ointment to relieve inflammation.

Important! The spider never attacks first - a bite is possible upon accidental contact.

Reproduction and offspring

The mating season for spiders takes place in August. During courtship, the male, in order not to become a victim, carefully approaches the edge of the web, pulls the threads with his paws and waits until the female responds in kind. Then mating occurs, after which the male dies.

Immediately after mating, the female begins to weave a cocoon into which the eggs will later be placed. The cocoon will stay with her for a while, and then she will hide it in a secluded place.

In the fall, the spider lays an average of 500 eggs in the cocoon, which are completely preserved in it until spring. After hatching, many small spiders die as a result of high competition and attacks from relatives.
They are faced with an acute question of survival, and for this they need to leave the maternal cocoon as quickly as possible. The legs of spiders are small and weak. Because of this, they move on the web, gliding under the influence of the wind like on a magic carpet.

When the wind subsides, the web falls to the ground, and the spider leaves it, starting new life. If the site turns out to be successful, then with the help of his nets he will be able to catch up to 400 insects throughout the day. By the beginning of summer, spiders are already capable of mating, and by this time the spider that gave them life dies.

Did you know? With the help of a web, the cross can cover about 400 km.

As can be seen from all of the above, the opinion of many that all spiders with crosses on their bodies and villi are dangerous to people is wrong. However, despite this, you should not tempt fate and try to pet or pick up this arthropod.

The cross spider, also known as the crusader, araneus, belongs to the family Araneidae. There are 621 species in the genus of crosses. Spiders live all over the world and are common in our area. You can meet a predator everywhere - in the forest, field, edge, park, vegetable garden, yard, outbuildings. Often crawls into the house through cracks in the wall, open windows, doors.

Description and photo of the cross spider

The body size of females is from 20 to 40 mm, that of males is 10 mm. Consists of a round convex abdomen, cephalothorax. The body is covered with a durable shell, the legs are covered with villi. The crusader spider has 10 limbs, of which 4 pairs are walking legs. The front ones perform the functions of claws - they capture the prey and hold it while feeding. The paws are symmetrical to the size of the body. The structure does not differ from the typical one. The cephalothorax is connected to the abdomen by a thin bridge.

How many eyes does a cross spider have - 8. Placed on the front of the head. 6 in the center, 2 large on the sides. This provides a broad outlook, but does not provide good vision.

Interesting!
The spider is myopic, sees everything in general outline– movement, shadow, silhouette. The organs of smell and touch help the cross to navigate in space. Located on the legs. Finding itself in an unfamiliar place, the spider carefully feels the space initially with its paws, and then moves.

What a crusader looks like depends on the species. The body structure is the same, but the color is different.

The meadow crossweed lives in places with moist air, warm climate, dim light. Painted in brown, yellow, red tones. On the belly on the upper side there are white spots in the shape of a cross. Thanks to this identification mark all araneus species are called crossworts. Meadow predator on the grass, hunting small insects.
The forest cross differs from the garden and meadow in its darker color. The body is dark brown with white stripes. The characteristic white or brown sign of the cross is clearly visible on the abdomen. The paws are long. The largest cross in Russia. The size together with the leg span reaches 4 cm.
The Far Eastern cross is different large sizes. Habitats: forest, field, meadow. The color is brown with different shades. The cross on the abdomen is white or yellowish. It weaves the largest web, which reaches 2 m in diameter. Even frogs, toads, and snakes can become entangled in strong webs.
Orange or yellow spider with a cross on his back - an ordinary crusader, living in shady places in the forest, field, meadow, garden. Araneus angulatus is a rare species listed in the Red Book. Body size is about 18 mm.
The predator with a red cross on its back is a type of meadow cross. Bright spots scare off enemies, but do not mean that this representative of the genus is more poisonous.
A black spider with a white cross on its back is a crusader that lives near swamps, in the forest, in fields, and rarely approaches a person’s house. Outwardly it resembles a tegenaria.

What a cross spider looks like depends on the species, but what distinguishes them from other representatives of arachnids is a characteristic pattern on the back in the shape of a cross. This is where the name comes from.

Where does it live?

The species is distributed throughout Europe, some varieties live in North America. Favorable conditions existence is high humidity, high temperature, lack of direct sun rays. Ideal habitats are coniferous forest, swamps, edges, hedges. Less often they settle in meadows, fields, gardens, vegetable gardens, outbuildings, and residential buildings. There are about 30 species of crosses living in Russia and the CIS countries.

Note!
Once in a person’s house, the spider chooses places away from noise and light. Occupies corners at the top of the room, below behind the furniture. Weaves a web. It feeds on “domestic” insects – , . To get rid of a spider with a cross on its back, you need to remove its web, throw it outside, and poison the “living creatures.”

Lifestyle

Common cross spider – resident wildlife, but under certain circumstances. Leads night image life, during the day it sits motionless in a shelter or on a web of cobwebs. He weaves it at night. It makes a shelter out of leaves and builds trapping nets between the branches.

Experts managed to find out how the female cross weaves a web. The network consists of 39 different radii, which expand as they move away from the center, 35 spiral turns, 1245 points of contact of threads. The radius of the web of the large Far Eastern cross reaches up to 2 m.

Interesting!
At night the female weaves a net, and during the day it catches prey. The spider eliminates the damaged areas and forms new coils in their place. Natural enemies There are birds, but with the onset of darkness their activity decreases. The cross can work quietly.

The lifespan of a spider is theoretically 2 years. Under natural conditions it is somewhat shorter. How long does a cross spider live? pet, depends on proper care. Quietly lives up to 2 years.

Nutrition

The main diet consists of insects different sizes. The spider's trapping nets catch flies, wasps, hornets, grasshoppers, locusts, caterpillars, and butterflies. In large strong webs snakes, frogs, toads, mice get entangled.

Internal digestive system absent, liquefaction of food occurs externally. The spider bites the victim, injects poison that paralyzes the muscles and immobilizes the prey. The cross releases saliva into the insect’s body, envelops it in a web, and waits for several minutes. In 5-20 minutes, the insides of the prey turn into a liquid mass, which the predator sucks up.

Reproduction

The mating season begins at the end of summer. The female waits for the male on her web and senses his approach by the vibrations of the web. After fertilization, it spins a cocoon and lays up to 250 eggs inside. He carries it with him and then leaves it in a secluded place. The young animals spend the winter in this state. Spiders are born at the end of April.

The maturation period lasts several months. During this time, the nymphs molt about 5 times, increase in size, and acquire a characteristic color. By the end of summer they become sexually mature. Caterpillars serve as food for the young.

Note!
How adult spiders overwinter - they hide in cracks in walls, utility rooms, forest litter, tree hollows. They become active as air temperatures rise in spring.

Poisonous or not crusader

The poison is toxic to invertebrates and vertebrates. It has an effect on the body of rats, mice, humans, and rabbits. Sheep, horses, guinea pigs, dogs are resistant to poison. For insects and invertebrates, a crusader attack is fatal. Animals experience a temporary deterioration in well-being and external irritation.

The Crusader is not dangerous to humans. When it sees people, the spider tries to hide unnoticed. However, if there is a threat to its own life, it can bite. There are 2 small spots left on the body. Initially there is pain and burning. The next day, suppuration occurs. In people with weakened immune systems and children, their overall health deteriorates afterward. Weakness, nausea, headache, dizziness, and abdominal discomfort appear. The condition returns to normal in a few days.

Cross spider belongs to the orb weaver family. So unusual name was named because of the large, prominent cross on the back formed by light spots.

The abdomen of the “flycatcher” is of a regular round shape, most often brown in color, but it also occurs white cross, whose abdomen is light yellow or beige. Long paws very sensitive to the slightest vibrations of the web.

U cross spider four pairs of eyes, positioned so that the insect has a 360-degree view. However, its vision leaves much to be desired; the spider can only see shadows and vague outlines of objects.

Types of cross spiders there are a lot - about 2000, only 30 of them are found in Russia and the CIS, and all of them can boast of a pronounced cross on the upper part of the abdomen.

In the photo there is a white cross spider

The size of a female individual can vary from 1.5 to 4 centimeters (depending on the specific species), while the size of a male individual can vary from 1.5 to 4 centimeters. Another surprising thing is the mixed cavity of the insect’s body - the myxocoel, which appeared as a result of the connection of the primary cavity with the secondary one.

One of the most common types is the common cross. The female of this species can reach 2.5 centimeters in length, the males are much smaller - up to 1 centimeter. The abdomen of males is quite narrow, while that of females is large and round. Color may vary slightly to suit lighting conditions. at the moment time.

The body is covered with special wax, which helps retain moisture. Female cross spider has reliable protection - the cephalothorax shield, on which the eyes are located.

The photo shows a female cross spider

Preferred habitats are always quite damp and humid. These can be forests, fields and meadows near swamps and ponds, groves, gardens, and sometimes human buildings.

The character and lifestyle of the cross spider

Most often for permanent place In life, the spider chooses the crown of a tree. Thus, he immediately creates both a trapping net (between the branches) and a shelter (in the thick leaves). Web of the cross spider clearly visible even at some distance, it is always round and smooth and quite large.

The household crossmaker carefully monitors the condition of the threads in the web and makes sure to completely renew it every few days. If a large web becomes a trap for an insect that the spider cannot handle, it breaks the threads around its prey and removes it.

Replacing an old trap with a new one most often occurs at night, so that by morning it is ready for hunting. This distribution of time is also justified by the fact that at night the spider’s enemies sleep, posing no danger, and the spider can do its work calmly.

The photo shows the web of a cross spider

It would seem how an almost blind spider can build such complex structures in complete darkness! However, in this case it is based not on vision, but on touch, which is why the network is always so smooth. Moreover, the female weaves the net according to strict canons - it always maintains the same distance between the turns, there are 39 radii, 35 turns and 1245 connecting points.

Scientists have found that this ability is inherent at the genetic level; the spider does not need to learn this - it performs all movements unconsciously, automatically. This explains the ability of young spiders to weave the same web as adults.

Consequences of a spider bite can be unpredictable, since its venom is toxic not only to insects, but also to vertebrates. The poison contains hemotoxin, which has a negative effect on the red blood cells of animals.

It is worth noting that dogs, horses and sheep are resistant to spider bite. Due to the fact that the poison is toxic, and also that cross spider bites and can even bite through human skin; there is an opinion that it is dangerous for people.

But these are all prejudices. Firstly, the amount of poison released during one bite is too small to cause harm. large mammal which a person is. Secondly, the poison has a reversible effect on vertebrates. So for a man the cross spider is not dangerous(with the exception of people with individual intolerance).

Feeding the cross spider

The main diet of crosses consists of a variety of flies and other small insects, which it can eat about a dozen at a time. A sticky substance is first released from the spider's arachnoid wart, which only becomes a strong thread in the air.

For one catching net, a crossman can produce and spend about 20 meters of silk. Moving along the web, its owner touches only the radial threads, which are not sticky, so he himself does not stick.

During the hunt, the spider waits in the center of the trap or is located on the signal thread. When the prey sticks to the net and tries to get out, the web begins to vibrate; the hunter feels even the slightest vibration with his sensitive limbs.

The spider injects a dose of poison into its prey and, depending on the situation, can eat it immediately or leave it for later. If an insect acts as backup source food, the cross shrouds it in a web and reliably hides it in its shelter.

If too large or poisonous insect, breaks the web and gets rid of him. The spider avoids contact with insects that lay eggs on other insects or animals, since the large abdomen of the spider can become an excellent place for larvae.

The spider's digestion process occurs in the body of the victim with the help of digestive juice. The cross spider, like other spiders, cannot digest food on its own.

Reproduction and lifespan of the cross spider

Male cross spider small, inconspicuous and most often dies after its very first mating. That's why in the photo Most often the female gets caught cross- big and beautiful.

The spider begins searching for a companion in the fall. It is located on the edge of her web and creates a slight vibration. The female recognizes the signal (does not mistake it for prey) and approaches the spider.

After mating, the female prepares for laying, weaving a reliable, durable cocoon, where she will subsequently lay all her eggs in the fall. Then the mother safely hides the cocoon, the eggs overwinter in the place she has chosen, and only in the spring do the spiderlings appear.

All summer they grow up, going through several molting processes and are ready for procreation only by next autumn. The female usually survives until this point.

In the photo there is a cocoon of a cross spider

In the common cross, the breeding season begins a little earlier - in August. The male also looks for a mate, attaches a signal thread to her web, tugs on it, creating a certain vibration by which the female recognizes him.

If she is ready during the mating process, she leaves her home in the center of the trap and descends to the male. After just a few seconds the action is completed, however, in some cases it may be repeated. In the fall, the female lays eggs in a cocoon and hides it, then dies. After overwintering, the spiderlings are born in the spring. In the summer they grow up and survive another winter.

Only by next summer do they become adults and are ready to reproduce. That is why there is no clear answer to the question “ How long does a cross spider live?“No - it all depends on whether a particular individual belongs to a particular species.