Like most of its relatives, this is a tiny spider, even as an adult. The members of this group (Family Dictynidae) are called meshweavers because of their unusual webs. The web contains extremely fine silk threads that entangle prey without the use of sticky glue. These spiders produce this sort of “cribbelate” web with a special structure on their abdomen (cribellum) with dozens of spigots that exude thin silk strands. The strands are woven into the web with a special comb on the legs (calamistrum). Emblyna hentzi is usually grayish brown, but covered with a large number of pale scales, making it look light gray or white. There are many very similar looking species, so an examination under a microscope is often needed to make a confident identification.
Here are two examples of meshweaver webs, often found at the ends of last years’ dried herbaceous plants.
Emblyna hentzi can sometimes be seen perched at the center of the tangled webbing. They are nicely camouflaged so even though the spider is in the open, it is hard to notice.
