Bowl-and-doily-web
Guides
Frontinella
Bowl and Doily Spiders
Frontinella is a genus of dwarf spiders in the family Linyphiidae, first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. The genus contains nine described species distributed across China, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States. The best-known member, F. communis (formerly F. pyramitela), is recognized by its distinctive bowl-and-doily web architecture. These spiders are small-bodied, with mature females measuring 3–4 mm. Some species exhibit behavioral thermoregulation through solar orientation and cohabitation behavior between males and females.
Frontinella huachuca
A small sheetweb spider species in the family Linyphiidae, described from the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The species constructs the distinctive "bowl and doily" web architecture shared with its congener F. communis, consisting of an inverted bowl-shaped sheet suspended above a flat doily-like platform. Known from the southwestern United States and Mexico, with two recognized subspecies: F. h. huachuca and F. h. benevola.