Adaptation
Thorn-like Hairs
Like all defense mechanisms, these thorny-projections are very energy costly to produce and maintain. This particular adaptation is most likely compensating for it's poor eyesight allowing for additional sensing.
Poor Eyesight
As I had mentioned in my introduction page, it was surprising that I could get so close to the spider without freaking it out. Was this spider really that territorial that it would not even budge when I pounded on the window of my room or that I could come within inches of this tiny horror with only a small layer of glass separating us? Well after some research it turns out one thing that may have influenced this is the fact that the spider most likely could not see me! This species of arachnids has surprisingly bad eyesight (Pascoe 1980). The reason this surprised me so much is that the class arachnid is well known for having compound eyes. The lack of good eyesight may have brought about an increase in its defense mechanisms, evolving the thorny projections on the legs.
Ventral Spots
It is this particular region that the Neoscona uses as a form of color deception. For whatever reason it is, this spot tends to attract the prey.
Chelicerae
This species is also known to have chelicerae involved in grasping and eating their foods.
The Web
The last real adaptation that should be noted is also one of the most important and occurs in many aspects of the spiders life, the web.
The web is truly a wonder in itself, composed of three different types of silk. These species use it as a home, a method of expanding its senses and a way to capture prey. As the spider grows in size there can also be characteristic changes that can be seen as well. The most important to the capture of prey is the spiral thread. This thread is typically lines with glue droplets that increase in production with the increase of the organisms size as well as the overall strength, toughness and elasticity. This is key in stopping the essential large prey items this species tends to target as it reaches maturity. With bigger webs and inceased stopping power, the rare large prey items will have less chance of escape before the arachnid can make its move. As mentioned earlier, the drag line material is operating at its peak early on in this species ontogeny. This type of silk is mainly used in structural support.
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