Strawberry spider
Araneus alsine
The strawberry spider is known for its striking, often reddish-orange abdomen covered with numerous light spots, giving it a strawberry-like appearance. It primarily inhabits damp forest clearings, bogs, and marshy meadows, where it constructs its orb webs at low heights between grasses and perennials. A characteristic feature is its bowl-shaped retreat made from a rolled-up leaf, where it waits for prey during the day. Due to the loss of its specialized habitats, the species is considered endangered in many parts of Central Europe.
Details
Identification
Reddish-orange to yellowish abdomen (opisthosoma) with many light spots; robust body; legs often distinctly dark-banded.
Social behavior
Solitary living; exhibits territorial behavior towards conspecifics in the vicinity of the capture web.
Diet
Small to medium-sized flying insects, especially flies, mosquitoes, and aphids that move close to the ground.
Hunting strategy
Construction of a vertical orb web at low heights; ambush hunting from a bowl-shaped rolled-up leaf.
Overwintering
Overwintering usually occurs in the egg stage within the cocoon or as a juvenile spider in the herb layer.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important predator for regulating insect populations in wetlands; food source for birds and ichneumon wasps.
Natural predators
Insectivorous birds, assassin bugs, and specialized ichneumon wasps (parasitoids).
Competitor species
Other orb-weaving spiders of the genus Araneus or Larinioides that inhabit similar habitats.
Ecosystem service
Natural pest control by consuming mosquitoes and other flying insects.
Threats
Destruction of wetlands, drainage of bogs, encroachment of scrub on clearings, and intensive agriculture.
Scientific profile
Profile
Distinguishing features
Characteristic is the almost spherical abdomen with the striking spot pattern ('Strawberry spider'). A key behavioral feature is the construction of a retreat made from a rolled-up leaf fixed with silk, usually located laterally above the web. Genus: Araneus.
Habitat
Stark hygrophile Art. Bewohnt feuchte bis nasse Offenlandhabitate wie Feuchtwiesen, Moore, Seggenriede sowie lichte, feuchte Waldränder und Waldlichtungen.