Arachnid · GBIF taxon 2150992
American Nursery Web Spider
Pisaurina miraAlso known as Nursery Web Spider
American nursery web spiders are agile, active hunters that stalk insects through fields and tall weeds without building capture webs. During the mating ritual, males often bind the female's front legs with strands of silk to avoid sexual cannibalism. Before spiderlings hatch, the mother constructs a protective silk tent around folded leaves, fiercely guarding hundreds of offspring until their first molt.
ArachnidNocturnalCamouflaged
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Flies
- Crickets
- Moths
Predators
- Songbirds
- Spider wasps
- Small mammals
ThreatsPesticide use and loss of open grassy habitats
HabitatsMeadows, forest edges, tall grasslands, and suburban gardens
Life span1–2 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAraneae
- FamilyPisauridae
- GenusPisaurina
- SpeciesPisaurina mira
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance; bites are exceptionally rare and mild.
Responsible observation
- Field Inspection: Search the tops of goldenrod, brambles, or tall grasses in midsummer to find nursery silk tents.
- Gentle Approach: Avoid shaking vegetation, as mothers will quickly retreat into deep foliage when disturbed.
Look-alike no rights reserved, uploaded by Mirko Schoenitz · cc0
Same Family (c) Mathias Krumbholz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Same Family (c) Benny Mazur, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Same Family (c) Meghan Cassidy, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Meghan Cassidy · cc-by-sa
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