Spider Subspecies in NC? - Has Friend Found New One?

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The discussion centers on the observation of red spider webs in North Carolina, initially raising questions about the existence of a new spider subspecies. However, it was revealed that the sighting was likely a prank. A key point made is that the red coloration of the webs may be linked to the spiders' diet, specifically the consumption of ferric soils rich in iron found in the region. This iron-rich soil band extends from the Carolinas to Florida and as far west as Arizona, suggesting that the incorporation of these minerals into the spiders' silk could explain the unusual red hue.
EnumaElish
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Does anyone know about any spider species that weave a red web? I have seen this in a picture a friend has taken, in North Carolina. Has she found a new subspecies?
 
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Never mind. As it turned out, the guy she was hanging out with at the time is a prankster.
 
Wish you had held out a little longer, I was going to take an educated guess.:smile:

The red webs in North Carolina may have to do with consumption of the ferric soils in the arachnid's diet. There is a band of red (iron rich) soil's that spans from Carolinas down to Florida and across the south, at least to Arizona, (as evident in the Grand Canyon). I know this first hand, as I've collected samples from each state.

If the spider incorporated this mineral into its web, it could account for the unusual red color.
 

Thread 'Here comes COVID-19 version BA.2, BA.4, BA.5,...'

Popular article referring to the BA.2 variant: Popular article: (many words, little data) https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html Preprint article referring to the BA.2 variant: Preprint article: (At 52 pages, too many words!) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.14.480335v1.full.pdf [edited 1hr. after posting: Added preprint Abstract] Cheers, Tom
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