Strange cocoon or egg sac

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Pizzazz
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Strange cocoon or egg sac

Post by Pizzazz »

Hi Gang

This has been on my screen porch for at least two months. It is green in
color with a darker band of green along the ridge line.

I took my loupe and noticed some small round structures within it and I
have no clue as to what this is or what it will become.

The strands that make up the "housing" are interesting and I do not know
what kind of insect may have created it.

I back-lit it in order to see some of the items inside.

Mike

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MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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Post by MarkSturtevant »

I suspect it is a spider egg sac. You can carefully peel it up and take it indoors and have a look inside.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Pizzazz
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Post by Pizzazz »

Dear Mark

You rock!

I gently removed the sack, and placed it into a small container.
I looked at it through my loupe and as I was looking, I noticed some
movement... a small spider.

What puzzles me is this has been on my screen for several months!

Thank you for posting a suggestion, and knowing what it is.

Mike

MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
Contact:

Post by MarkSturtevant »

I know it can take over a month for spider eggs to hatch. Small things, but their development is slow.
If it is cold, maybe they stay in the egg sac at this time, living off of yolk reserves in their tummy. If that seems so, it would be best, once you are done with whatever pictures you would like to take, to put them back outside again. I had done similar things before, and it worked out ok for them.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Pizzazz
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Post by Pizzazz »

Mark

OK, I came home, looked in my small container, and I have about 15 tiny
spiders crawling around!

These are very, very small, and based on the egg sac, I believe they are
spinybacked orbweavers.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/ben ... formis.htm

The link describes the egg sac color and construction and it matches
what I have.

It is supposed to get very cold here within the next few days, so placing
them outside is a concern. What could I provide for them as food to
keep them alive until it warms up?

It would be nice to keep a few to photograph later.

Mike

MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
Contact:

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Does it normally get nearly this cold down there? I was hoping that they could just 'chill', staying in and around the sac in colder temperature until it gets a bit warmer. Then they will want to disperse.
For the time being, they are living on yolk in their tummies. Being very small, they would later eat tiny things like mites, or maybe each other. That is when they want to eat something, but right now they don't need to eat anything.
When you think it time to let them be on their own (I would guess its when they are dispersing), I suggest putting them in the upper layers of a refuse pile of leaf litter. They can navigate down, to whatever temperature they want, and find food since there will be a whole community of tiny arthropods down there.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

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