As with the
Basilica Orbweaver (
Mecynogea lemniscata), you might look at the web of the Labyrinth Orbweaver (
Metepeira labyrinthea) and wonder, "Where's the orb?" Well, it's an incomplete orb. The actual orb web is built below and in front of an irregular web, where the spider has its retreat. This latter web consists of a "labyrinth" of tangled lines and perhaps leaves woven in to provide cover. Thus, the spider doesn't reside in the orb. In her retreat, our Labyrinth Orbweaver uses a leaf as a tent.
These photos were taken before she obtained the leaf:
And now, with the leaf:
Feeding on prey:
And here she is in the orb:
References:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/38516
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metepeira_labyrinthea (I don't normally cite Wikipedia but the description is well-written and documented)
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