Zilla orbweaver
Its orb web has radii doubled near the rim but single toward the centre, an adaptation to the different forces pulling on each part.
| Where | Forest edges, parks and gardens, Europe |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 3.5 to 5.1 mm, male 2.5 to 3 mm body length |
| When | February to July and September to October |
The Zilla orbweaver is a small orb weaver with a yellow brown to reddish abdomen marked by a white spot near the front and paired dark brown spots edged in white; the legs are yellowish brown with darker rings.
It spins a fine, closely woven orb web among bushes and low branches at forest edges and in parks and gardens, sitting at the centre of the web and responding quickly whenever an insect touches the sticky spiral.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Yellow, Brown, White
Active
Day and night
To people
A very small orb weaver with no documented bite to people; it poses no risk and simply retreats along its web when disturbed.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Both are small orb weavers, but the Silver-sided sector spider leaves one sector of its web without spiral threads and carries a shiny silver patch at the centre of the abdomen, while the Zilla orbweaver spins a complete circular web and lacks that silver patch.
Questions
Is the Zilla orbweaver dangerous to people?
A very small orb weaver with no documented bite to people; it poses no risk and simply retreats along its web when disturbed.
When can you see the Zilla orbweaver?
The Zilla orbweaver can be seen from February to July and September to October, by day and at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Katharine Khamhaengwong, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Orb-weaver spiders›Zilla
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.