Missing Sector Orb Weaver

The Missing Sector Orb Weaver (Zygiella x-notata), is also known as the silver-sided sector spider. It belongs to the Araneidae family of orb-weavers and is renowned for being solitary. It is widespread over much of the world, including New Jersey, despite being mostly found in Europe. Males normally measure around 7 millimeters in length, while adult females range in length from 5 to 11 millimeters. The characteristic silvery sheen on their abdomens is whence they get their name. Females have dark patterns on the abdomen, and the cephalothorax has a yellowish-brown color.

Of all the spiders in New Jersey, the missing sector orb weaver creates one of the most recognizable web patterns. The top half of the web often lacks a sector. Every day, a missing sector orb weaver will build a new web to capture prey. While you can often find it near human habitats, it rarely bites humans and poses little threat.