Can orb web spiders change colour ?

Lord Vetinari

I've noticed before that common garden orb web spiders Araneus diadematus often seem to colour match their surroundings but was not able to find any info on whether they can change colour or whether they are able to find backgrounds that match their existing colours.
Anyway the colour matching was bought home to me again when I shot 2 spiders recently.
Brian v.

Spider 1 on greenhouse struts




Spider 2 on dead leaf

GOLDENORFE

Love the first ones colouration never really thought about them changing colour lol

e6filmuser

Brian,

They (A. diadematus) can vary the lightness or darkness of their colours but not change colours. This is an ecophenotype, a phenotype being the expression of genes, in this case, in response to the environment. The Crab spiders apply makeup to change colour and they can't clean it off.

Harold

Lord Vetinari

Thank for the comments and info Phil and Harold.

Harold - perhaps change colour is too strong but you are suggesting they can change colour tones to match their environment ?
Do you know if this is within one moult or only occurs at moulting ?

Brian v.

e6filmuser

Lord Vetinari wrote: »

Thank for the comments and info Phil and Harold.

Harold - perhaps change colour is too strong but you are suggesting they can change colour tones to match their environment ?
Do you know if this is within one moult or only occurs at moulting ?

Brian v.

I don't know any more. The original paper is in German. I hadn't the time to search further, having a mushroom foray today, with someone trying out my Kiron's twin on the foray, to prepare for.

Harold