Labyrinth-web
Guides
Metepeira
labyrinth spiders, labyrinth orb-weavers
Metepeira is a genus of small orb-weaving spiders in the family Araneidae, first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1903. The genus contains 44 species distributed from Argentina to Canada, with highest diversity in western North America and Mexico. These spiders construct distinctive webs combining a small orb web with a tangled, labyrinthine snare surrounding a thimble-like retreat. Some species exhibit facultative colonial behavior, with individuals interlacing webs over large areas under conditions of high prey availability.