Theridion grallator, also known as the happy face spider, is a spider in the family Theridiidae. Its Hawaiian name is nananana makakiʻi (face-patterned spider). The specific epithet grallator is Latin for "stilt walker", a reference to the species' long, spindly legs.
Contents
1 Appearance
2 Ecology
3 Distribution
4 Evolution
5 References
6 External links
Appearance[edit]
The spider is up to 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long.[1] Certain morphs have a pattern uncannily resembling a smiley face or a grinning clown face on their yellow body. Each spider has a unique pattern, and the patterns differ from island to island. Some lack markings altogether.[1]
On the island of Maui, the happy types seem to follow simple Mendelian inheritance rules, while on other Hawaiian islands the body inheritance patterns seem to be sex-limited.[2] The variation is possibly a kind of camouflage against birds, their only natural enemies of significance, to counteract pattern recognition by predators. As the pattern may change according to what food the spider has eaten[3] and as T. grallator is very small, hides during the day, and is thus not a significant prey item for any species of predator, it is more likely that the bizarre variety of patterns serves no significant adaptive purpose at all.
Ecology[edit]
T. grallator lives beneath the leaves of plants, where they also spin their much reduced webs.[3] The females guard their eggs until they hatch, and catch prey for their young. T. grallator hunts mainly during the evening.