Major web types
Orb webs - flat wheel-shaped webs, built by Araneidae and Tetragnathidae.
Tangle (cobweb) webs - three-dimensional irregular webs, built by Theridiidae (including widows and common house spiders).
Funnel webs - sheet with a retreat tube, built by Agelenidae (grass spiders, hobo, giant house).
Sheet webs - horizontal sheets with tangle above, built by Linyphiidae.
Cursorial (web-less) hunters
Wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and most ground-dwelling species do not build prey-catching webs. They produce draglines and egg-sac silk only.
References
- [1]Spider Silk - University of Kentucky Entomology. Accessed June 2026.
Related in Biology
- Spider anatomySpiders (order Araneae) have two body segments - the cephalothorax (prosoma) and abdomen (opisthosoma) - connected by a narrow pedicel.
- Spider life cycle and reproductionSpiders develop through egg, spiderling, and adult stages.
- Spider vision and sensesMost spiders have poor vision and rely on vibration and touch.
- Spider respiration: book lungs and tracheaeSpiders breathe through book lungs, tracheae, or both, depending on lineage.
- Molting and growthSpiders grow by molting their exoskeleton.
- Spider venom compositionSpider venoms are complex cocktails of peptides, enzymes, and low-molecular-weight compounds.