These are cool. They belong to the genus Micrathena in the orb weaver family, Araneidae. They are characterized by their large abdomens with multiple sharp spikes in the females. The males are much smaller with less developed abdomens and spikes. In some species the spikes are actually sharp enough to be driven into human flesh through carelessness.
The genus Micrathena has a wide distribution across America into Canada and down into the American tropics. Some of the tropical species have even stranger and more extreme shapes that the ones I'm about to show. In Ohio we have only a couple species, but luckily they are very common.
The most common is M. gracilis seen here. They build their spiral webs across trails in wooded areas. The maximum size of the female is only about 1.5-2cm. There is some variation in the coloration of M. gracilis, but it is usually a light tan to white. The light in this shot is interesting, because I shot it so that one of my flashes shone through a green leaf onto the spider, while another bounced light off a blue barn nearby. I think it gives it a "spooky" feel very suitable to the subject matter.
Another species of Micrathena found in Ohio is M. sagittata, seen here. It is so named because of the arrow-shaped abdomen. There is some variation in the coloration of this species as well, but it usually ranges from yellow to red. It is just a bit longer than M. gracilis, but not nearly as stout. It is also not quite as common as M. gracilis, but it's usually not too hard to find. It tends to build its web nearer to the ground so maybe it's just not noticed as often.
Both of these photos were taken with my EOS D60 and MP-E 65mm macro lens, at about 1.5:1 magnification. They were lit with my MT-24EX macro twin flash, and a separate 550EX flash mounted to a small tripod placed behind the subjects and slaved wirelessly to the twinflash. Camera settings are 1/200s, f/16 nominal, ISO 100.
Let me know what you think.
The genus Micrathena has a wide distribution across America into Canada and down into the American tropics. Some of the tropical species have even stranger and more extreme shapes that the ones I'm about to show. In Ohio we have only a couple species, but luckily they are very common.
The most common is M. gracilis seen here. They build their spiral webs across trails in wooded areas. The maximum size of the female is only about 1.5-2cm. There is some variation in the coloration of M. gracilis, but it is usually a light tan to white. The light in this shot is interesting, because I shot it so that one of my flashes shone through a green leaf onto the spider, while another bounced light off a blue barn nearby. I think it gives it a "spooky" feel very suitable to the subject matter.
Another species of Micrathena found in Ohio is M. sagittata, seen here. It is so named because of the arrow-shaped abdomen. There is some variation in the coloration of this species as well, but it usually ranges from yellow to red. It is just a bit longer than M. gracilis, but not nearly as stout. It is also not quite as common as M. gracilis, but it's usually not too hard to find. It tends to build its web nearer to the ground so maybe it's just not noticed as often.
Both of these photos were taken with my EOS D60 and MP-E 65mm macro lens, at about 1.5:1 magnification. They were lit with my MT-24EX macro twin flash, and a separate 550EX flash mounted to a small tripod placed behind the subjects and slaved wirelessly to the twinflash. Camera settings are 1/200s, f/16 nominal, ISO 100.
Let me know what you think.
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