The Common Hammock-Weaver Spider (Linphia triangularis) is a very small arachnid in the Linyphiidae family of Sheet-Web Weaver spiders. It is commonly called a Money Spider.

The Common Hammock-Weaver Spider is usually dark-brown with variable markings on its rounded abdomen. Its eight legs are light-beige coloured.

It grows to about 6mm (less than a quarter of an inch) in length.

It is found in countries worldwide, except in extremely cold climates, such as in Antarctica. It mainly prefers temperate climates, but it can also be found in the tropics.

Its webs can be see in bushes, shrubs, and low-growing vegetation. However, the spider is rarely seen because it is so small. 

It moves from one place to another by ‘ballooning’ – floating through the air.

The Common Hammock-Weaver Spider eats insects that it traps in its hammock-shaped web.

It builds a horizontal hammock-shaped sheet web with lines of silk vertically up and down, holding the bowl-shaped or cup-shaped hammock web. The spider is usually found facing downwards, on the underside of the web between two layers (sheets) of webbing. The web is often called a ‘bowl and doily’ web.

Locaton of photographs: Nairobi, Kenya and Tbilisi, Georgia

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM