# Cucumber Green Spider

*Araniella cucurbitina*

This spider has a tiny, bright red mark on the underside of its abdomen near the spinnerets, which is often hidden while it sits on a leaf.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Arachnida › Araneae › Araneidae › Araniella
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous forests, woodland edges, hedgerows, and well-vegetated gardens.
- **Diet:** Small flying insects such as gnats, aphids, and flies caught in its orb web.
- **Range:** Europe, North Africa, Turkey, Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan
- **Size:** Females reach 4.5-9.5mm; males are smaller at 3.5-4.5mm.
- **Lifespan:** 1 year
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread pesticide use in gardens and loss of hedgerow connectivity.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to humans. This spider is non-aggressive and its fangs are typically too small to penetrate human skin. If encountered, observe its vibrant green coloration from a short distance; do not intentionally destroy its web. No medical action is necessary upon contact.

## About

Araniella cucurbitina , sometimes called the "cucumber green spider", is a spider of the family Araneidae. Females grow up to 6 millimetres (0.24 in), males only up to 4 mm (0.16 in). The spider is mainly found on forest clearings, where it weaves its orb-web between leaves and flowers. These webs are only about 100 mm (3.9 in) in diameter.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/8a4da5a8-3d8f-4c29-ae94-1ce78b930ff3
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/129017
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araniella cucurbitina
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/173202320/medium.jpg (Emanuele Santarelli, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.