Inter‐ and Intraspecific Variation in Web Architecture and Its Significance in Australian Funnel‐Web Spiders (Atracidae)
- 1School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
- 2School of Life and Environmental Science The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
Abstract
Web building is a defining trait of spiders, encompassing a remarkable diversity of architectures and functions. However, the order Mygalomorphae remains underrepresented compared to Araneomorphae, with limited research on their structural diversity and function. Mygalomorph designs provide valuable insights into the evolution of web‐building and silk use in spiders. In this study, we described and quantified inter‐ and intraspecific variation in web architecture across three Atracidae species: Hadronyche cerberea , H. versuta and the Atrax robustus complex. Our research represents the first quantitative characterisation of web architecture within Atracidae. Using image‐based morphometric analysis, we quantified structural traits that statistically differentiated web designs among species. In addition, we refined previous descriptions of their web structures through detailed qualitative accounts and schematic diagrams to enhance species identification and understanding of web architecture. Collectively, our findings revealed clear qualitative and quantitative differences among species, with several structural traits responsible for these variations. These results provide a foundation for exploring the ecological drivers and functional significance of web diversity in Atracidae, contributing to a broader understanding of mygalomorph evolution and behaviour.
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BibTeX
@article{brown2026inter,
title = {{Inter‐ and Intraspecific Variation in Web Architecture and Its Significance in Australian Funnel‐Web Spiders (Atracidae)}},
author = {Noah Brown and Thomas E. White},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74473},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668323},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Inter‐ and Intraspecific Variation in Web Architecture and Its Significance in Australian Funnel‐Web Spiders (Atracidae)
AU - Noah Brown
AU - Thomas E. White
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Ecology and evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74473
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668323
AB - Web building is a defining trait of spiders, encompassing a remarkable diversity of architectures and functions. However, the order Mygalomorphae remains underrepresented compared to Araneomorphae, with limited research on their structural diversity and function. Mygalomorph designs provide valuable insights into the evolution of web‐building and silk use in spiders. In this study, we described and quantified inter‐ and intraspecific variation in web architecture across three Atracidae species: Hadronyche cerberea , H. versuta and the Atrax robustus complex. Our research represents the first quantitative characterisation of web architecture within Atracidae. Using image‐based morphometric analysis, we quantified structural traits that statistically differentiated web designs among species. In addition, we refined previous descriptions of their web structures through detailed qualitative accounts and schematic diagrams to enhance species identification and understanding of web architecture. Collectively, our findings revealed clear qualitative and quantitative differences among species, with several structural traits responsible for these variations. These results provide a foundation for exploring the ecological drivers and functional significance of web diversity in Atracidae, contributing to a broader understanding of mygalomorph evolution and behaviour.
SN - 2045-7758
ER -