Tetragnathid spiders can be found all over the world, most easily recognizable from their elongated chelicerae, thin abdomens, and long first pair of legs, though in some genera these traits are less pronounced. In the macro world they look fearsome with raptorial-like chelicerae and fangs, but they are fairly small spiders. This one in the genus Tetragnatha was just 2.5 cm long without the legs. During copulation both spiders lock jaws, and the male then inserts his long palps into the female’s pore. When threatened many of them appose themselves to thin stems or branchs with their legs extended to match the contour of the vegetation, but most often they can be spotted sitting in the center of their webs.
Photographed in situ [1] on a jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
