Daddy Long legs spider mating?

asher

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
56
It's too late in the year for mating, plus one already had an egg-sac, so would not mate. Also, I'd say both spiders are females due to their size.

They're probably eating each other, since P. phalangiodes is a highly cannibalistic species.

Edit: Didn't see the photos properly, she probably dropped her egg-sac since another female coming along is a big threat which she needed to neutralise - she couldn't do that while carrying an egg-sac. Good find, though! I've never seen a spider drop an egg sac.
 

RobAtkinson

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 13, 2010
Messages
14
Well I've just had another look and they are still right next to each other. I saw the one without the egg sac go in for a bite(I think) and it keeps moving going across the web. But credit to the mother, she seems to be defending herself even with the egg sac in her mouth.
 

RobAtkinson

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 13, 2010
Messages
14
Having just had another look, the mother and egg sac are still here and the intruder is nowhere to be seen
 

j-boy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
24
It's too late in the year for mating, plus one already had an egg-sac, so would not mate. Also, I'd say both spiders are females due to their size.

They're probably eating each other, since P. phalangiodes is a highly cannibalistic species.

Edit: Didn't see the photos properly, she probably dropped her egg-sac since another female coming along is a big threat which she needed to neutralise - she couldn't do that while carrying an egg-sac. Good find, though! I've never seen a spider drop an egg sac.
Is that all spiders? Because I have never seen grass funnel web spiders mate and all of the sudden, like in almost every web the spider has had an egg sac, mated already of is mating now. Just curious ;).
 

RobAtkinson

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 13, 2010
Messages
14
Are you sure they weren't mating? Both spiders are still around. I just think it would be a bit odd if they were fighting that both spiders and egg sac survived.
 

Malhavoc's

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
2,837
looking at the pictures it looks like mating to me, and cellar spiders are less dictated by time of year due to the regulated temprature of our homes.
 
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