The ‘inverted ladder’ orb web ofScoloderussp. and the intermediate orb ofEustala(?) sp. Araneae: Araneidae

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Abstract
The South American spider Scoloderus sp. spins a remarkably elongated ‘ladder’ orb web similar to that of an as yet unidentified New Guinean spider except that it is inverted 180°, with the long part above rather than below the hub. The two webs differ in a number of details, some of which may represent alternate solutions to the special problems associated with extremely long radii. Various details of the web building behaviour of Scoloderus sp. differ from the behaviour of species of Araneus and Zygiella. Immature Scoloderus build less elongate webs which are more similar to the standard araneid orb web. Eustala (?) sp. spins a web similar in many respects to that of the New Guinean spider, except that it is much less elongated, and thus forms an intermediate between typical orb webs and ‘ladder’ webs.