Parasteatoda tepidariorum
(Common House Spider)

Comments & ID Thoughts

Parasteatoda tepidariorum, female and male in her web. The male is attempting to mate. It was a miserable failure. He strummed the web to signal that he was there and she lunged at him. He waited a long time then they waved legs toward each other. He approached and she lunged. He kept trying different directions and every time she lunged. Twice I saw him take snack breaks. He bit into things in her web and sucked them into his mouth like a strand of spaghetti. This went on for hours. She stood her ground. I left and came back two hours later. They were in the same spots. The male was dead. I think he died on his own, it didn't look like the female ever touched him.

• Submitted by: 
  
  tangledweb
• Submitted: Jul 12, 2019
• Photographed: Jul 12, 2019
• Spider: Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Common House Spider)
• Location: Nashua , New Hampshire, United States
• Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
• Found in web?: Yes
• Attributes: