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AN AUSTRALIAN SPIDER HAS BEEN FOUND to spin webs over ponds that are capable of plucking insects from the surface, according to new observations published in Ethology. <\/em><\/p>\n\n Various species of long-jawed orbweavers are known to construct their webs close to water. But it seems that at least one sets snares that are in direct contact with the water, allowing them to catch water striders and other insects that live on the surface. <\/p>\n\n John Gould, who led the work at Australia\u2019s University of Newcastle, says it\u2019s not yet clear whether the webs are attached to structures below the surface, to floating algae or directly to the water itself. \u201cWe suspect that it is a combination of these attachment points that are used in conjunction,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n According to Geoff Oxford of the British Arachnological Society, the UK is home to several species of long-jawed orb-weavers, at least two of which are associated with water. \u201cIt would be worth looking out for this phenomenon,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n Stuart Blackman <\/strong><\/p>\n\n A long-jawed orb-weaver spider uses its web to catch aquatic insects 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long-jawed orb-weaver spider uses its web to catch aquatic 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