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Leaf-Curling Spider
Phonognatha graeffei
Family: Araneidae (Orb-weavers) Size: Male body size 5 to 6 mm, female body size 8 to 12 mm Distribution: Woodlands and urban areas in the north-eastern, eastern and southern states of Australia. Habitat: The spider is distinguished by having a curled leaf at the centre of its web, in which it shelters. The species form pairs living together in the same leaf, though at opposite ends of their shelter, even before mating at maturity. The female creates a separate curled leaf "nursery" hung in foliage nearby. References: Wikipedia. About the Leaf-Curling SpiderAlthough living together inside the one leaf sounds unusually romantic for spiders, females may cannibalise cohabiting males, independently of whether the female has had food. Note that dead spiders usually fade in colour, so nearly all the spiders will look blacker or darker in colour in real life than they do in the photos of dead spiders from the museum.
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