Aha, my favorite! This morning when I checked my email, there was this spider photo waiting for me from Gudrun at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge. The message with it: "We found this rather slow spider at Hirundo this past weekend. Very green. Any idea of its name? Tried to ID it but no luck."
I'm pretty sure this is Tetragnatha viridis Walckenaer, or Green longjawed orbweaver. The red patch at the front of the abdomen was the give-away since I can't see the eye pattern or mouthparts. According to Common Spiders of North America , they're "found along the East Coast and in the Southeast. They are a spider of pine forests and occasionally other conifers. The web is built in the low branches of pine trees."
It is very exciting to receive a spider sighting this time of year - especially one in bright green wrapping paper. Thanks, Gudrun.
Happy Holidays!
I'm pretty sure this is Tetragnatha viridis Walckenaer, or Green longjawed orbweaver. The red patch at the front of the abdomen was the give-away since I can't see the eye pattern or mouthparts. According to Common Spiders of North America , they're "found along the East Coast and in the Southeast. They are a spider of pine forests and occasionally other conifers. The web is built in the low branches of pine trees."
It is very exciting to receive a spider sighting this time of year - especially one in bright green wrapping paper. Thanks, Gudrun.
Happy Holidays!