Kleptoparasitic spiders are tiny Argyrodes genus (tangle web group) spiders that live in larger spider webs and steal from them. They do this this by creeping up and feeding on wrapped prey along with the host, taking prey too small for the host, or by eating the host’s web. Occasionally they even attack their host.
This week for the first time I saw a golden orb weaver Nephila edulis in its golden web above and spanning a driving track in Foxes Lair. At great risk I erected my largest ladder on the ute tray and teetered on the top rung to get the image below. Sure enough, the 5cm beauty was accompanied by a tiny speck Argyrodes antipodianus the kleptoparasitic Dewdrop Spider.
This week for the first time I saw a golden orb weaver Nephila edulis in its golden web above and spanning a driving track in Foxes Lair. At great risk I erected my largest ladder on the ute tray and teetered on the top rung to get the image below. Sure enough, the 5cm beauty was accompanied by a tiny speck Argyrodes antipodianus the kleptoparasitic Dewdrop Spider.
 Golden orb weaver; Dewdrop spider inset to scale |  Dewdrop spider |
If you walk in open bushland on a frosty morning you may be surprised at the multiplicity of “fairy” webs on the ground. In dry weather they are very hard to see until looking into the sun, you can see that each sedge plant has a webby inhabitant.
 Dew-laden webs |  Summer tent spider web in sedge plant |
I noticed that several of these webs had 2 totally different size and shape spiders. This time the host was an orb weaver Cyrtophera hirta tent web spider with a weird Stick Spider Argyrodes gracilis hemiparasite
 Tent web spider and hemiparasitic Stick Spider (top right) |  Stick Spider guarding its egg sac |
Male spider with spoon-shaped palps However to confuse matters, orb weaver and tangle web spiders males are also much smaller than the females, and may be a different shape.
When Alan Kerrigan and I were on a kleptoparasite photo shoot an insect flew into an adjoining sedge web and was quickly wrapped up by the resident spider. On examining Alan’s images of this later, I was surprised to see that the spider was quite different to that in the adjoining plant. It was a Theriidae family, Archaerena species tangle web spider) and the little one was its male mate.
The poor little fellow is likely to be his wife’s dinner whether or not he can do the deed. Even then the deed itself appears to be less than exciting! If you look at the image on the left, you can see that the male has spoon-shaped ends on his palps (short for pedipalps or short front leg-like things) that he fills with sperm and transfers to the female’s genital opening.
When Alan Kerrigan and I were on a kleptoparasite photo shoot an insect flew into an adjoining sedge web and was quickly wrapped up by the resident spider. On examining Alan’s images of this later, I was surprised to see that the spider was quite different to that in the adjoining plant. It was a Theriidae family, Archaerena species tangle web spider) and the little one was its male mate.
The poor little fellow is likely to be his wife’s dinner whether or not he can do the deed. Even then the deed itself appears to be less than exciting! If you look at the image on the left, you can see that the male has spoon-shaped ends on his palps (short for pedipalps or short front leg-like things) that he fills with sperm and transfers to the female’s genital opening.
Male approaching a feeding female Archaearena