Spiders ‘decorate’ their webs to help trap dinner

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comOctober 29, 2025

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Spiders ‘decorate’ their webs to help trap dinner

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One of nature’s most beautiful natural wonders, spider webs sometimes feature small additional elements called stabilimenta. Stabilimenta are highly reflective UV structures. Basically, think of it like spidey bike reflectors scattered across a canvas. While stabilimenta still remain shrouded in mystery, new research opens a new window into this silky world. Stabilizers can help move vibrations through the web, helping arachnids find their captured prey. The results are detailed in a study published today in the journal PLOS One.

Several species of spiders build orb webs. These spiral wheel-shaped webs that often dot forest plants and the corners of our homes capture flying prey. This is the iconic spider web shape that you see Spider Man rock and Halloween decorations embrace.

Some spider species incorporate stabilimenta throughout their web structure. The stabilizers of these enhanced, extra-reflective fabrics often appear as zigzag threads that span the spaces between two adjacent “spokes” or as threads arranged in a circle around the center of the fabric.

The purpose of stability within the Web is unclear. They could help collect water, regulate a spider’s body temperature, or even deter predatory wasps or birds to help arachnids collect more insects. They can also help spiders locate prey by helping vibrations move through the web.

In this new study, the team looked at the different stabilization patterns that wasp spiders (which really look like wasps) build into their webs. The team then performed numerical simulations to explore how these stability-enhanced webs are affected when prey, such as a mosquito, is trapped.

The team found that vibrations in a web without stabilization affected the web differently, depending on the angle of the vibrations generated by the prey impact. For example, in vibrations generated at angles perpendicular to the surface of the belt or perpendicular to the wires coming out of the center of the belt (like the spokes of a wheel), the stabilizers did not create noticeable changes in the way the vibrations moved.

The stabilimentum in Argiope bruennichi. a) Production of aciniform silk by A. bruennichi during prey wrapping. b) A juvenile of A. bruennichi in the center of his web with the stabilimentum (courtesy of Letizia Alleruzzo, Aracnofilia – Italian Arachnological Association). c– h) The different types of stabilimentum observed in the webs: normal (N), juvenile (J), reduced (R), platform (P), drafted (D) and absent (A, that is to say without stabilimentum). Image: Greco et al., 2025, PLOS One. — The stabilizer in *Argiope bruennichi*. a) The production of aciniform silk by *A. bruennichi* when enveloping prey. b) A minor *A. bruennichi* in the center of its web with the stabilimentum (courtesy of Letizia Alleruzzo, Aracnofilia – Italian Arachnological Association). c– h) The different types of stabilimentum observed in the webs: normal (N), juvenile (J), reduced (R), platform (P), drafted (D) and absent (A, that is to say without stabilimentum). *Image: Greco et al., 2025, PLOS One.*

However, if the waves were generated in the same direction as the spiral threads, the vibrations from the stable webs would travel further through the web, where a spider might be able to detect them from anywhere in the web. According to the team, this suggests that stabilimenta could increase a spider’s ability to focus on the location of prey captured in its web.

It is important to note that the actual impact of prey location may be more limited and other elements, such as web location, may have greater effects. However, the team believes this research could help engineers create better web-inspired synthetic materials.