Web Construction Research Articles

Webbing life type and behavioral response of the date palm mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus, to webbing residues on leaves and fruits of date palm.

The present study examined the webbing life type and behavioral response of date palm mite (DPM) Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) toward its webbing residues, in presence or absence of immature individuals, on leaves and fruits of date palm. DPM exhibited a complicated web life type on both the leaves and fruits of date palm, which is characterized by the following features: complicated irregular web structure; webbing density on the leaves is medium and on the fruits extremely high; eggs are always laid on the threads of web without web cover; fecal pellets are deposited on the substrate surface (both leaf and fruit); quiescent stages are on the silken web threads; and the preferred site for feeding and walking is under the web. Behavioral observation of DPM females revealed that the midrib of leaves and the base of fruits of date palm were the preferred sites for feeding and web construction. The number and development stage of DPM affected the behavioral response of females on date palm leaves but not on the fruits. DPM spent most time feeding under the web on both the leaves and fruits of date palm.

Silk genes and silk gene expression in the spider Tengella perfuga (Zoropsidae), including a potential cribellar spidroin (CrSp).

Most spiders spin multiple types of silk, including silks for reproduction, prey capture, and draglines. Spiders are a megadiverse group and the majority of spider silks remain uncharacterized. For example, nothing is known about the silk molecules of Tengella perfuga, a spider that spins sheet webs lined with cribellar silk. Cribellar silk is a type of adhesive capture thread composed of numerous fibrils that originate from a specialized plate-like spinning organ called the cribellum. The predominant components of spider silks are spidroins, members of a protein family synthesized in silk glands. Here, we use silk gland RNA-Seq and cDNA libraries to infer T. perfuga silks at the protein level. We show that T. perfuga spiders express 13 silk transcripts representing at least five categories of spider silk proteins (spidroins). One category is a candidate for cribellar silk and is thus named cribellar spidroin (CrSp). Studies of ontogenetic changes in web construction and spigot morphology in T. perfuga have documented that after sexual maturation, T. perfuga females continue to make capture webs but males halt web maintenance and cease spinning cribellar silk. Consistent with these observations, our candidate CrSp was expressed only in females. The other four spidroin categories correspond to paralogs of aciniform, ampullate, pyriform, and tubuliform spidroins. These spidroins are associated with egg sac and web construction. Except for the tubuliform spidroin, the spidroins from T. perfuga contain novel combinations of amino acid sequence motifs that have not been observed before in these spidroin types. Characterization of T. perfuga silk genes, particularly CrSp, expand the diversity of the spidroin family and inspire new structure/function hypotheses.

Suppression of orb-web building behavior of the spider Metazygia laticeps (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) (Araneae: Araneidae) by a new parasitoid wasp

Parasitoids may change host behavior in order to improve their survival during the pupal stage. This has been observed in some ichneumonid wasps (Polysphincta genus group), which are able to induce modifications in the movements of host spiders during web construction. These changes usually result in web patterns distinct from those of normal webs of spiders. In this study, we describe the behavioral change in the orb-weaver spider Metazygia laticeps (Araneidae), parasitized by a new species of parasitoid wasp, Polysphincta sinearaneasp. n. (Ichneumonidae), which has a high prevalence in M. laticeps populations. This parasitoid induces behavioral changes in M. laticeps that result in the complete suppression of the normal orb-web structure. The absence of the orb probably reduces accumulation of debris and interception of insects by the webs (factors that could result in the rupture of threads that hold the shelter of the web) during the period from cocoon construction to the emergence of the adult wasp. Also, the suppression of the normal orb-web structure implies that resources that would have been invested in the web will be available to the larva wasp.

When hungry, spiders boost web stickiness

Spider webs are architectural masterpieces – delicate silken threads spiraling into elaborate expanses of sticky, stretchy and incredibly strong tapestries. These masterpieces are not only stunning, they're also critical for survival. If a spider's web doesn't help the spider catch prey, the spider will starve. Fortunately for spiders, they are able to adapt the architecture of their web, as well as the combination of silks they use, depending on environmental conditions and their diet. Though it may seem obvious, given the function of the spider's web, no one had tested what the end game of all these variations in web design was for the spider, according to Sean Blamires at The University of New South Wales in Australia. Would spider web-weaving versatility mean more hapless victims in the web when spiders were in need? ‘We assumed it would’, says Blamires.He and his colleagues set out to see whether putting spiders on a protein-restricted diet would affect the spiders’ web construction in a way that allowed them to catch more prey to improve their diet. The team caught female St Andrew's Cross and golden orb weaver spiders in the wild and brought them back to the lab. They fed all of the spiders the same diet for a few days and allowed them to build webs. They then separated the spiders into two groups – one group got extra protein in their diet, and the other was fed a low-protein diet – and then, after more than a week, the two groups made webs again.Blamires and his group looked at how the spirals within the web were spaced and examined the stickiness and size of the web threads. They also measured how well the webs could hold prey by placing live and dead crickets in the webs and waiting for the crickets to fall out. Blamires admits that this had not been the original experimental design. ‘We had planned to perform a ballistic experiment where we fired insect bodies at the webs to simulate the capture of prey in flight’, explains Blamires, ‘but the machinery proved too difficult to control and, because of the speed of the flight (and a lack of a high-speed camera), the measurements were very difficult to accurately perform’. So, no high-speed ballistic crickets this go-around.Although the team found that there were no differences in architecture when they compared the high- and low-protein diet webs, the spiders given the low-protein diets spun stickier threads. Blamires says, ‘Although we expected, based on previous experience, that there was going to be a change in the glue stickiness between treatments for both spiders, the increase in stickiness was larger than we expected’. These differences in stickiness even extended to how long the crickets stayed in the webs. He says showing that the stickier webs made by the spiders deprived of protein are better able to hold ‘live, struggling’ prey longer is key to understanding the benefits of web-making adaptability.‘This means there is an evolutionary advantage in having silk and webs that can vary in property as nutrient intake varies’, Blamires explains; before now they couldn't be sure that it wasn't the result of natural changes caused by the spiders’ diet. The team has also pounced eagerly on the implications of their findings. ‘Right now, we are examining the genetic and biochemical mechanisms of the plastic response in spider gluey silks’, he says, and he hopes that these new discoveries could inspire the next generation of stickier, stretchier glues. ‘We think the theoretical and practical applications are very broad’, he smiles.

Automatic segmentation of gallbladder using bio-inspired algorithm based on a spider web construction model

In medical image processing, an accurate segmentation and classification are very important and this field still needs an effective computer-based algorithm for accomplishing the task. In gallbladder segmentation, only few automatic segmentation methodologies have been presented. The accuracy is very important in medical image processing for accurate diagnosis of the disease. In this paper, by exploiting the basic web building behavior of spiders, we developed a bio-inspired algorithm based on the spider web construction process for image segmentation process in medical images. The aim of this paper is to detect the shape of the gallbladder and to segment the gallstones and polyps located inside the gallbladder using a computer-based algorithm. It is necessary to apply a suitable preprocessing method in order to eliminate the irregularities presenting in the ultrasound scan images. In the preprocessing stage, histogram equalization and DooG filter are applied to enhance the contrast of the image. After that, the proposed spider web algorithm is applied in the segmentation process. The performance metrics of the proposed method are evaluated by implementing the proposed method to test the input dataset of 60 patients and it is compared with the results obtained from conventional segmentation methods. The values of DSC, OF, OV and PE for images with no lesions are 0.873167, 0.8389, 0.81705 and 0.81452.

Modular patterns in behavioural evolution: webs derived from orbs

AbstractImperfect knowledge of ancestral behaviour often hampers tracing behavioural evolution. This limitation is reduced in orb weaving spiders, because spider orb web construction behaviour and the cues used by modern orb-weavers are well-studied and highly conserved. Several species in orb-weaving families build non-orb webs that are clearly derived from orbs, allowing transitions from ancestral to modern behaviours to be described with high confidence. Three major patterns of general evolutionary significance were found in 69 phylogenetically independent transitions in 15 groups in 8 families: ancestral traits were often maintained as units; the most frequent of the eight different types of ancestral trait change was transfer of an ancestral behaviour to a new context; and ‘new’ traits that had no clear homology with ancestral traits were also common. Changes occurred in all major stages of orb construction. This may be the most extensive summary of evolutionary transitions in behaviour yet compiled.

Female fecundity and offspring survival are not increased through sexual cannibalism in the spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

Many hypotheses explaining the evolution and maintenance of sexual cannibalism incorporate the nutritional aspect of the consumption of males. Most studies have focused on a fecundity advantage through consumption of a male; however, recent studies have raised the intriguing possibility that consumption of a male may also affect offspring quality. In particular, recent studies suggest prolonged survival for offspring from sexually cannibalistic females. Here, we measured the protein and lipid content of males compared to insect prey (crickets), quantified female nutrient intake of both prey types and finally assessed how sexual cannibalism affects female fecundity and spiderling quality in the orb-web spider Larinioides sclopetarius. We found no evidence that sexual cannibalism increased fecundity when compared to a female control group fed a cricket. Contrary to previous studies, spiderlings from females fed a male showed reduced survival under food deprivation compared to spiderlings from the control group. Offspring from females fed a male also tended to begin web construction sooner. The low lipid content of males compared to crickets may have reduced offspring survival duration. Whether additional proteins obtained through consumption of a male translate to enhanced silk production in offspring requires further investigation.

Web building and prey wrapping behavior ofAglaoctenus castaneus(Araneae: Lycosidae: Sosippinae)

Funnel webs are common and widespread taxonomically, but little is known about how they are built or details of their structure. Aglaoctenus castaneus (Mello-Leitão, 1942) (Lycosidae) builds horizontal, densely meshed funnel webs of non-adhesive silk, with a tangle of lines above. Web construction behavior was unique in that the spider frequently laid swaths of lines rather than simple drag lines, both to float bands of fine lines on the breeze as bridges to distant objects and to fill in the sheet. Spiders utilized special spinneret movements to widen the swaths of lines that they laid on sheets. These movements have not been seen in web construction by other araneomorphs, but are were similar to and perhaps evolutionarily derived from those used during prey wrapping by many other species. Observations, made with a compound microscope, of the construction behavior of the agelenid Melpomene sp. O.P. Cambridge 1898, and of lines and attachments in sheets of these species and another funnel web spider, the zoropsid Tengella radiata (Kulczyński, 1909) demonstrated the possibly general nature of including obstacles in the web. This probably disadvantageous behavior may be related to constraints in selecting web sites imposed by the need for sheltered retreats, or to the spider's inability to remove preliminary lines. The observation also showed the importance of further improvements in the discriminations made between “sheet” and “brushed” webs in recent discussions of spider web evolution.

Bad neighbors: hunger and dominance drive spacing and position in an orb-weaving spider colony

The costs and benefits of group living can vary among group members depending on their physical location within the group. If individuals can anticipate poor positions and leave the group, the society may dissolve. Therefore, understanding the geometry of social groups is critical to understanding their stability. We examined social geometry in the colonial spider, Cyrtophora citricola (Araneidae), which builds long-lasting individual webs within a shared colony framework. Group foraging benefits are thought to be an ultimate cause for the evolution of colonial living in spiders, but conflict often arises over food and territory. To understand how foraging benefits of grouping interact with inter-individual conflict to shape group geometry, we examined the effects of feeding history and body size on inter-individual spacing in the laboratory. We also examined the effect of spider density and body size on individual position within colonies in a semi-natural setting. We found that spiders with prior food stress increased their inter-individual spacing, suggesting that competition for prey may override group foraging benefits. Larger spiders built their webs first, relegating smaller spiders to the margins of the space and sometimes preventing them from completing web construction. In a semi-natural setting, spiders did not maintain close spacing, but rather spread themselves out over the substrate, and larger spiders occupied the preferred side of the substrate to the exclusion of smaller spiders. Contrary to the hypothesis that foraging advantages to group living promote greater cohesion under food stress, food competition appeared to promote group instability, and exclusion of small spiders by larger and more dominant individuals seemed to determine position in the colony. In colonial spiders, foraging benefits are thought to be the primary driver of group living, yet there is often conflict over food and territory within the group. We tested the hypothesis that foraging benefits should promote group cohesion under food stress in the colonial spider Cyrtophora citricola. By manipulating prey abundance prior to trials, but minimizing prey cues during trials, we eliminated the influence of prey position on spiders, leaving interactions among individuals to determine spider location. Prior food deprivation caused spiders to space themselves farther apart, refuting the group cohesion hypothesis. Larger spiders prevented smaller spiders from constructing webs and relegated them to less preferred positions in the group, suggesting that aggressive interactions determined spacing and placement within the colony, but that these interactions are modulated by feeding history.

Complex Web Construction: Additional Clues to Mechanical Properties—An Investigation by Middle School Students in Collaboration with MIT and JEOL, USA

Journal Article Complex Web Construction: Additional Clues to Mechanical Properties—An Investigation by Middle School Students in Collaboration with MIT and JEOL, USA Get access W Delise, W Delise Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar N Lloyd, N Lloyd Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar J Schmidt, J Schmidt Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar K Baum, K Baum Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar D Roos, D Roos Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar R Dettelbach, R Dettelbach Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar D Maar, D Maar Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar V Chandre, V Chandre Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar K Sanon, K Sanon Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Z Huseni, Z Huseni Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar ... Show more D Shattuck Teacher, D Shattuck Teacher Concord Middle School, Concord, MA, USALaboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Contact: Markus Buehler (mbuehler@MIT.EDU or 617.452.2750); Douglas Shattuck (shattuck@MIT.EDU or 978.318.1380) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Z Qin, Z Qin Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar M Buehler, M Buehler Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Contact: Markus Buehler (mbuehler@MIT.EDU or 617.452.2750); Douglas Shattuck (shattuck@MIT.EDU or 978.318.1380) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar V Robertson, V Robertson JEOL USA, Peabody, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar M Shibata M Shibata JEOL USA, Peabody, MA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Microscopy and Microanalysis, Volume 23, Issue S1, 1 July 2017, Pages 2306–2307, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927617012193 Published: 04 August 2017

Proposal of a PCM Underfloor Heating System Using a Web Construction Method

Apartment buildings in Korea have adopted underfloor heating systems using web construction methods based on concrete and hot water systems. However, since such systems consume significant amounts of energy for heating owing to their low thermal storage performance, it is necessary to develop a new system that can minimize energy consumption by improving concrete thermal storage performance. This study proposes a phase-change material (PCM) underfloor heating system to reduce energy consumption in apartment buildings. An optimal design for a PCM underfloor heating system is proposed, and thermal storage performance of the proposed system is evaluated experimentally. The temperature range of the PCM for underfloor heating is also calculated considering the proposed design and comfortable heating conditions for domestic apartment buildings. Results indicate that a PCM underfloor heating system can be constructed in the following order: (1) a 210 mm concrete slab, (2) a 20 mm cushioning material, (3) 40 mm of mortar including a 10 mm PCM thermal storage container, and (4) 40 mm of finishing mortar including wire mesh and hot water pipes. The temperature range of the PCM used for underfloor heating in domestic apartment buildings is 32–45°C. Experimental tests reveal that thermal storage performance of underfloor heating systems that apply 35, 37, 41, and 44°C as representative PCM temperatures is superior to existing systems.

The section "personalities" on the web site State scientific architecture and construction library named after V. G. Zabolotny as a source of biographical knowledge about architects, engineers, builders, artists.

The section "personalities" on the web site State scientific architecture and construction library named after V. G. Zabolotny as a source of biographical knowledge about architects, engineers, builders, artists.

Low-Tech, Pilot Scale Purification of a Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Analog from Tobacco Leaves.

Spider dragline is used by many members of the Araneae family not only as a proteinogenic safety thread but also for web construction. Spider dragline has been shown to possess high tensile strength in combination with elastic behavior. This high tensile strength can be attributed to the presence of antiparallel β-sheets within the thread; these antiparallel β-sheets are why the protein is classified as a silk. Due to the properties of spider silk and its technical and medical uses, including its use as a suture material and as a scaffold for tissue regeneration, spider dragline is a focus of the biotechnology industry. The production of sufficient amounts of spider silk is challenging, as it is difficult to produce large quantities of fibers because of the cannibalistic behavior of spiders and their large spatial requirements. In recent years, the heterologous expression of genes coding for spider silk analogs in various hosts, including plants such as Nicotiana tabacum, has been established. We developed a simple and scalable method for the purification of a recombinant spider silk protein elastin-like peptide fusion protein (Q-/K-MaSp1-100× ELP) after heterologous production in tobacco leaves involving heat and acetone precipitation. Further purification was performed using centrifugal Inverse Transition Cycling (cITC). Up to 400 mg of highly pure spider silk protein derivatives can be isolated from six kilograms of tobacco leaves, which is the highest amount of silk protein derivatives purified from plants thus far.

A rapid assessment of foliage spider fauna diversity in Sinaloc, El Salvador City, Philippines: a comparison between habitats receiving different degrees of disturbance

The spider fauna of Barangay Sinaloc, in El Salvador City was sampled from three cites (A, B and C) to assess the relative abundance, species diversity, evenness and their habitat preferences. A total of 187 individuals were collected from three families and nine genera. Most of the species collected came from the family Araneidae, with the two most dominant species being Araneus inustus L. Koch, 1871 and Gasteracantha clavigera Giebel, 1863. The majority of the collected spiders were from Site C, the least disturbed ecosystem. Overall, the species were variably distributed and with a moderate level of species diversity (H1 = 1.68). Spider species from Araneidae and Theridiidae preferred Site C as its habitat over the two other sites because it offers larger space for web construction in bushes and herbs, and because it is the least disturbed site. Several spider species collected did not show habitat preference because there was no significant difference in their distribution in the three sites sampled. Based on evidence from the collected data, Barangay Sinaloc in El Salvador City can still support spider life and diversity but regular follow-up studies must be conducted to further assess the condition of spider fauna.

Complex Web Construction: A Possible Clue to Mechanical Properties

Complex Web Construction: A Possible Clue to Mechanical Properties

Do age-related changes in feeding habits of brown trout alter structural properties of food webs?

The aim of this study was to quantify changes in food webs based on ontogenetic dietary shifts of a top fish predator (here brown trout Salmo trutta L.). Here, the food web of a river in Central Spain (River Tormes) was studied to test the hypothesis that food web structural properties may change according to age-related changes in feeding habits of brown trout. Thus, the food web was established separately for age-0, age-1 and age-2 brown trout using a forward procedure (individual, modular and river networks); next the complete trophic networks were established. Overall, the networks were characterized by generalist predators with numerous prey types; specialized feeding was limited to a low number of taxa. Food web structural properties (number of links, connectance and linkage density) had the highest values in the age-1 scenario. The highest trophic level (i.e. the highest number of energy steps) was also found in the age-1 scenario, but the lowest in the age-0 scenario. Vulnerability and generalization tend to be higher in age-1 and age-0 scenarios, respectively. The present study exemplifies that age-specific brown trout predation on invertebrate predators emerged as the key factor to understand the changes in food web structural properties among age scenarios. I conclude that ontogenetic dietary shifts of brown trout promote changes in food web structural properties. This conclusion underscores the importance of considering different life history stages of species (i.e. to cover their ontogenetic dietary shifts) in food web construction.

Linking Native and Invader Traits Explains Native Spider Population Responses to Plant Invasion.

Theoretically, the functional traits of native species should determine how natives respond to invader-driven changes. To explore this idea, we simulated a large-scale plant invasion using dead spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) stems to determine if native spiders’ web-building behaviors could explain differences in spider population responses to structural changes arising from C. stoebe invasion. After two years, irregular web-spiders were >30 times more abundant and orb weavers were >23 times more abundant on simulated invasion plots compared to controls. Additionally, irregular web-spiders on simulated invasion plots built webs that were 4.4 times larger and 5.0 times more likely to capture prey, leading to >2-fold increases in recruitment. Orb-weavers showed no differences in web size or prey captures between treatments. Web-spider responses to simulated invasion mimicked patterns following natural invasions, confirming that C. stoebe’s architecture is likely the primary attribute driving native spider responses to these invasions. Differences in spider responses were attributable to differences in web construction behaviors relative to historic web substrate constraints. Orb-weavers in this system constructed webs between multiple plants, so they were limited by the overall quantity of native substrates but not by the architecture of individual native plant species. Irregular web-spiders built their webs within individual plants and were greatly constrained by the diminutive architecture of native plant substrates, so they were limited both by quantity and quality of native substrates. Evaluating native species traits in the context of invader-driven change can explain invasion outcomes and help to identify factors limiting native populations.

Host behavior modification of Achaearanea tingo (Araneae: Theridiidae) induced by the parasitoid wasp Zatypota alborhombarta (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

AbstractBehavioral manipulation involving Zatypota (Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) parasitoids and their spider hosts is usually associated with an increase in web complexity at the location where the parasitoid larva builds its cocoon. A higher number of web threads at this location may improve stability and provide a physical barrier against potential predators. However, we observed that parasitized individuals of Achaearanea tingo attacked by Z. alborhombarta change the three‐dimensional structure of their webs to a very simple and strong structure composed of two cables attached to the surrounding vegetation. This structure holds the curled leaf formerly used by the spider as a shelter. The parasitoid larva remains protected within this shelter after killing the host. The architectural pattern of the cocoon webs of A. tingo indicates that host manipulation is characterized by the repetition of one specific subroutine involved in web construction. Similar alterations have been previously described for cocoon webs constructed by parasitized orb‐weavers, but not for the three‐dimensional webs of theridiids.

Time till death affects spider mobility and web-building behavior during web construction in an orb-web spider.

It is well known that age influences organism mobility. This was demonstrated in vertebrates (such as mammals and birds) but has been less studied in invertebrates with the exception of Drosophila and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we studied the influence of age on the mobility of the orb-weaving spider Zygiella x-notata during web construction. The orb-web is a good model because it has a characteristic geometrical structure and video tracking can be used to easily follow the spider’s movements during web building. We investigated the influence of age (specifically chronological age, life span, and time till death) on different parameters of spider mobility during the construction of the capture spiral (distance traveled, duration of construction, spider velocity, spider movement, and spider inactivity) with a generalized linear model (GLM) procedure adjusted for the spider mass. The results showed that neither chronological age, nor life span affected the mobility parameters. However, when the time till death decreased, there was a decrease in the distance traveled, the duration of the construction of the capture spiral, and the spider movement. The spider velocity and the time of inactivity were not affected. These results could be correlated with a decrease in the length of the silky thread deposited for the construction of the capture spiral. Spiders with a shorter time till death built smaller web using less silk. Thus, our study suggests strongly that time till death affects spider mobility during web construction but not the chronological age and thus may be a good indicator of senescence.

Morphological adaptation of the calamistrum to the cribellate spinning process in Deinopoidae (Uloboridae, Deinopidae).

Spiders are famous for their silk with fascinating mechanical properties. However, some can further produce, process and handle nano fibres, which are used as capture threads. These ‘cribellate spiders’ bear a specialized setae comb on their metatarsus (calamistrum), which modifies cribellate nano fibres to assemble a puffy structure within the capture thread. Among different species, the calamistrum morphology can differ remarkably. Although a model of thread production has been established for Uloborus plumipes, it is not resolved if/how different shaped calamistra influence the production process. We were able to transfer the model without restrictions to spiders with different shaped calamistra. Fibres are not locked between setae but are passing across a rather smooth surface-like area on the calamistrum. This area can be relocated, explaining the first morphological difference between calamistra, without changing the influence of the calamistrum on fibres. By performing an elongated leg movement, contact between fibres and calamistrum could be adjusted after finishing thread production. This movement has to bring the thread in contact with the second morphological peculiarity: cribellate teeth. We suggest these teeth are used to handle the thread independently of the spinnerets, a feature only necessary for spiders, which do not move during web construction.