This spider ambushed the bee, which seemd to be tangled in the web,
though I did not see it being "trussed" as such, I assumed this. I was
able to get the spider's attention by touching the end of the web area
with a (long!) thin twig. Definitely ambush country. But I can't rule
out the Black House Spider - web could easily be right, and not in the
ground but in ivy. What was wrong was the size, definitely ca. 25mm
long. Who knows? It's dead, as I "didn't choose to have it running all
about", to quote the White Knight (Alice, Looking Glass)
DN
On 7/11/10 8:37 PM, Denis Wilson wrote:
Funnelwebs are by nature ambush predators (lying in wait inside their
funnels).
They tend to use "trip lines" radiating from the entrance to their
tunnels in order to feel the presence of prey.
They do not use not enmeshing webs.
To the best of my knowledge, they do not "truss their prey" in the
manner described.
Yes, they do wander around, especially after rain, esp. if their burrows
get flooded.
That's how and when most human bite incidents occur.
There are more species of Funnel-webs than generally realised, however
the Sydney Funnel-web and a Northern Tree Funnel-web are the main
species to cause concern.
http://www.csiro.au/resources/Funnelweb-Spider-Facts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_funnel-web_spider
The Black House Spider is not related, but is much more common.
Cheers
Denis
www.peonyden.blogspot.com <http://www.peonyden.blogspot.com>
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