Silver teardrop spider
Argyrodes antipodiana, family Theridiidae
Identification
Small spiders that look like a drop of silver. They have a small black head and legs with large silver body in shape of teardrop.
Length: Leg span about 10mm.
Distribution
Bushland and suburbs in Eastern Australia.
Web
Spiders build tiny threads of silk spanning the webs of Golden Orb spiders (Nephila) and of other web building spiders.
Bite
Too small to bite humans effectively.
Notes
These spiders, termed kleptoparasites, steal food both from the webs of other spiders and remarkably from the very mouth of other spiders where they join the host spider when it is feeding.
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