A drawing of the fossil spider Mesozygiella dunlopiThe discovery of the oldest true orb weaving spider has been announced in Biology letters. It was found in amber from northern spain and extends the range of the orb weavers back to the early Cretaceous. This means that the radiation of spiders occurred at the same time as that of angiosperms and the pollinating insects which form a major part of spider diets.
Ref:
Oldest true orb-weaving spider (Araneae: Araneidae)
David Penney and Vicente M. Ortuño.
Biology Letters, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0506
Early web-spinner found in amber: BBC News story
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