Cribellate-silk
Guides
Deinopis
net-casting spiders, gladiator spiders, ogre-faced spiders, American Ogre-faced Spiders
Deinopis is a genus of net-casting spiders characterized by their distinctive hunting strategy of throwing a rectangular cribellate web at prey. The genus is distinguished by enlarged posterior median eyes that are among the most light-sensitive of any animal, enabling nocturnal hunting. These spiders exhibit specialized sensory adaptations including the use of trichobothria and slit sensillae on their legs to detect prey vibrations and sounds. The genus has a tropical and subtropical distribution with a complex biogeographic history involving Gondwanan origins and subsequent dispersal events.
Emblyna oregona
Emblyna oregona is a species of mesh-web weaver spider in the family Dictynidae, described by Gertsch in 1946. The species epithet "oregona" indicates an association with Oregon, suggesting a Pacific Northwest distribution. As with other members of the genus Emblyna, this species constructs irregular, tangled mesh webs rather than the spiral orb webs characteristic of many spiders. The genus Emblyna belongs to the family Dictynidae, a group of small to medium-sized spiders known for their cribellate silk production and preference for vegetation-dwelling habits.
Mallos
Mexican Social Spiders
Mallos is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Dictynidae, first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. The genus is notable for including social spider species, particularly *Mallos gregalis*, which lives in groups and communicates through web vibrations. These spiders produce cribellate silk, a type of woolly, non-sticky silk used in prey capture. The genus has been the subject of systematic research, including studies on their spinning apparatus evolution.