Venusta Orchard Spider - (Leucauge venusta)

The colorful and elongated abdomen of the Venusta Orchard Spider are almost shiny like beads. This spider works hard in trees and shrubs.

Staff Writer (6/19/2017): Common in forested areas, this colorful spider almost appears to be painted. The abdomen can be a variety of color combinations, each depending on the individual spider. Bright red, orange, green and/or yellow at the end of the abdomen may or may not be present. The capsule-shaped abdomen is very different compared to the more spherical abdomen of most Orbweaver spiders.

Venusta Orchard Spider webs can be found in shrubs or trees and have widely-spaced strands. The spider itself will hang up-side down at the edge of its horizontal web, or hide on a twig nearby, waiting for prey. Once ensnared, the spider will bite the insect to immobilize, wrap it in spider silk and consume it when it likes. They may also be found running around foliage and their homes. They are tiny, but fast:

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Details of the:
Venusta Orchard Spider

Category: Spider
Common name: Venusta Orchard Spider
Scientific Name: Leucauge venusta
Other Names: Orchard Spider

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida

Order: Araneae

Family: Tetragnathidae

Genus: Leucauge

Species: venusta

Size (Adult, Length): 3mm to 8mm (0.12in to 0.31in)

Identifying Colors: green; teal; silver; red; black; white; yellow; brown

Additional Descriptors: multicolored, oblong, biting, venomous

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; British Columbia; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Mexico

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

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