The i’iwi is the iconic bird of the Hawaiian forest. And proudly upholding iconic status for the arthropod fauna of Hawaii is the happy-face spider. This endemic species belongs to the Theridion genus of spiders with almost 600 members worldwide, but the one most notably mentioned is our own, Theridion grallator. T. grallator was named in 1900 by a French naturalist, Eugene L. Simon, who is the most prolific spider taxonomist in history. The specimens for Simon’s work were collected by another great naturalist, R.C.L. Perkins, an Englishman who wrote Fauna Hawaiiensis. He is also remarkable for walking on lava barefoot.
With this sterling heritage, we must expect our happy-face spider to be special. And it is. First, the happy-face name. It comes from a pattern on its abdomen which often takes the shape of a smiling face. The colors can be red, yellow, white and black, but plain yellow is favored. Another feature of this spider is its long legs, which give rise to its scientific name, grallator, which means stilt-walker. Those legs come in handy at night when stalking for food. Their webs are very flimsy, not good for catching prey, so they rely on detecting vibrations transmitted by their prey through a leaf.
Besides its unusual human “face”, T. grallator also has behavior that we humans can relate to. Mothers guard their egg sacs and feed the spiderlings after they hatch. They will even adopt orphan spiderlings, not something we commonly associate with spiders.
If you would like to see these beautiful, delicate and friendly creatures, you must look on the undersides of leaves, particularly of native plants. You will have most luck in a moister mesic or wet forest. When you see one, you can then question them as to that elusive quality of happiness.
Thank you to Bob Peck for the excellent photo.
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