{"id":10107,"date":"2019-02-05T11:54:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T17:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/?p=10107"},"modified":"2024-08-26T15:54:45","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T20:54:45","slug":"variegated-spider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/","title":{"rendered":"Speed-dating the Spiders &#8211; Variegated Spider"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Greetings, BugFans,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The BugLady found this striking spider at Riveredge Nature Center one early summer day. What it lacks in size (it\u2019s less than \u00bd\u201d), it surely makes up for in beauty (thanks for the ID, BugFan Mike).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s not a lot of information out there about the Variegated spider (<em>Sergiolus capulatus<\/em>). Only one source gave it a common name, but most of the other species in its family don\u2019t have common names, either. It is found across the eastern US from the Atlantic to the Great Plains, usually on the ground, under leaf litter, and in grasslands, open areas, and in sunny spots in deciduous woods. It favors dry habitats over moist ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"aligncenter uwm-c-img--center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ground Spider Sergiolus\" class=\"wp-image-10109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Except for a few genera, its family members tend to be drab, and all of them sport conspicuous twin spinnerets at the end of their abdomen. Scientists speculate that the Variegated spider\u2019s color pattern mimics that of some species of velvet ants that can be found in the same neighborhoods (a velvet ant picture is included here). Velvet ants (family <em>Mutillidae<\/em>) are actually flightless, female wasps whose stingers pack quite a wallop. Nobody messes with velvet ants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"aligncenter uwm-c-img--center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/velvet-ant18-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/velvet-ant18-2.jpg\" alt=\"Velvet Ant\" class=\"wp-image-10110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/velvet-ant18-2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/velvet-ant18-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/velvet-ant18-2-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Like crab spiders and jumping spiders, Variegated spiders do not spin an elaborate trap web; they stalk their prey on foot (more about that in a sec). Most sources call them nocturnal, but a few disagreed, calling them diurnal (daytime) hunters. In any case, they spend their \u201cdown\u201d time, and cooler days and nights, in a snug, silk-lined retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The BugLady started finding good stuff (most of the good stuff is silk-related) when she researched the family rather than the species. Variegated spiders are in the Ground spider family <em>Gnaphosidae<\/em>, aka the Flat-bellied or Stealthy ground spiders (one source said that <em>Gnaphosidae<\/em> is Greek for \u201cliving in the dark\u201d). There are about 2,000 species in the family; just over 300 of those are found in North America, where there are more species in the west than in the east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To review, spiders are capable of making different kinds of silk for use in different situations, like egg cases and trap webs and balloons and shelters and safety nets and more <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/the-wonders-of-webs-i-spider-silk\/\">https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/the-wonders-of-webs-i-spider-silk\/<\/a>. Not all spiders have or need all the options, and producing silk is \u201cexpensive,\u201d energy-wise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ground\/Gnaphosid spiders often go after prey that is as large as or larger than they are, like ants, and their fellow spiders (<em>araneophagy<\/em>). It\u2019s dangerous \u2013 a predator can get hurt in a wrestling match, and some prey may be venomous \u2013 but ground spiders have developed an impressive strategy for subduing struggling prey. It\u2019s called a \u201cswathing attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A hunting Gnaphosid spider approaches its prey and typically tries to make some tactile contact with it. That touch allows it to gauge whether or not it will be able to subdue its food without a fight (by wrapping it in a \u201cleg basket\u201d). If it does need to deploy silk, it targets the prey\u2019s legs and mouth with thick, sticky globs of silk. In an article in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers Wolff, \u0158ez\u00e1\u010d, Krej\u010d\u00ed, and Gorb called it \u201chunting with sticky tape\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/jeb.biologists.org\/content\/220\/12\/2250\">http:\/\/jeb.biologists.org\/content\/220\/12\/2250<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They point out that food-getting drives many adaptations. Some animals avoid \u201crisky prey,\u201d but Gnaphosids have developed a modified spinning apparatus that produces an especially gluey silk that that is both stretchy and strong. It allows them to immobilize prey very effectively, but at a cost. When foraging spiders like Jumping spiders or Crab spiders launch themselves at their prey, they first attach a bit of web to their substrate; if their lunge takes them over the edge of a leaf, they\u2019ve got an anchor\/dragline. Dragline silk also functions in navigation, communication, trap-web construction, and egg sac suspension. Gnaphosid spiders aren\u2019t able to make dragline silk, but it doesn\u2019t seem to have bothered them much \u2013 Gnaphosidae is the 7th-largest spider family, and its members are especially dominant in dry, open areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ground spiders use a different kind of thread to make a sac for their eggs, and females stand guard until the eggs hatch, like the closely-related Clubionid spiders. They also weave silk into mesh-like shelters that they stay in when they\u2019re not hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a couple of neat spider sites: <a href=\"https:\/\/fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org\/sites\/default\/files\/rapid-color-guides-pdfs\/390_1.pdf\">https:\/\/fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org\/sites\/default\/files\/rapid-color-guides-pdfs\/390_1.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The BugLady<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The BugLady found this striking spider at Riveredge Nature Center one early summer day. What it lacks in size (it\u2019s less than \u00bd\u201d), it surely makes up for in beauty (thanks for the ID, BugFan Mike). There\u2019s not a lot of information out there about the Variegated spider (Sergiolus capulatus). Only one source gave it a common name, but most of the other species in its family don\u2019t have common names, either.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5995,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[8],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-10107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bug-of-the-week","tag-spiders"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Field Station<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Speed-dating the Spiders - Variegated Spider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The BugLady found this striking spider at Riveredge Nature Center one early summer day. What it lacks in size (it\u2019s less than \u00bd\u201d), it surely makes up for in beauty (thanks for the ID, BugFan Mike). There\u2019s not a lot of information out there about the Variegated spider (Sergiolus capulatus). Only one source gave it a common name, but most of the other species in its family don\u2019t have common names, either.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Field Station\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-05T17:54:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-26T20:54:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Speed-dating the Spiders &#8211; Variegated Spider\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-05T17:54:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-26T20:54:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":738,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/380\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Spiders\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Bug of the Week\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/\",\"name\":\"Speed-dating the Spiders - Variegated Spider - Field Station\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/380\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-05T17:54:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-26T20:54:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/380\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/380\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/variegated-spider\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bug of the Week\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/category\\\/bug-of-the-week\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Speed-dating the Spiders &#8211; Variegated Spider\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/\",\"name\":\"Field Station\",\"description\":\"UW-Milwaukee\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/field-station\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Field Station","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Speed-dating the Spiders - Variegated Spider","og_description":"The BugLady found this striking spider at Riveredge Nature Center one early summer day. What it lacks in size (it\u2019s less than \u00bd\u201d), it surely makes up for in beauty (thanks for the ID, BugFan Mike). There\u2019s not a lot of information out there about the Variegated spider (Sergiolus capulatus). Only one source gave it a common name, but most of the other species in its family don\u2019t have common names, either.","og_url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/","og_site_name":"Field Station","article_published_time":"2019-02-05T17:54:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-26T20:54:45+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Speed-dating the Spiders &#8211; Variegated Spider","datePublished":"2019-02-05T17:54:08+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-26T20:54:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/"},"wordCount":738,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg","keywords":["Spiders"],"articleSection":["Bug of the Week"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/","name":"Speed-dating the Spiders - Variegated Spider - Field Station","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg","datePublished":"2019-02-05T17:54:08+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-26T20:54:45+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2019\/02\/ground-spider-sergiolus18-1.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/variegated-spider\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bug of the Week","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/category\/bug-of-the-week\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Speed-dating the Spiders &#8211; Variegated Spider"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/","name":"Field Station","description":"UW-Milwaukee","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":""}]}},"acf":[],"meta_fields":{"_edit_lock":["1724705687:19861"],"_edit_last":["19861"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["8"],"_wp_old_slug":["speed-dating-the-spiders-variegated-spider"],"feat_img_video":[""],"feat_img_gallery":[""],"feat_img_caption":["feat-img-caption-on"],"breadcrumbs_display":["breadcrumbs-on"],"otp_nav_display":["otp-on-mobile"],"post_layout":["post-layout-theme"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["4"],"_uwm_wg_content_review_log":["a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:11:\"reviewer_id\";i:0;s:6:\"status\";s:5:\"reset\";s:10:\"entry_date\";s:19:\"2026-03-01 02:10:45\";s:16:\"priority_content\";s:0:\"\";s:4:\"note\";s:43:\"Content review reset at start of new cycle.\";}}"]},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-20 00:11:20","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5995"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10107"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15264,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10107\/revisions\/15264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}