Largest fossil spider

A new fossil has been discovered in northeastern China. The fossil proves that a modern group of spiders, called golden spinners, or Nephila, existed on Earth as early as the Jurassic period, 165 million years ago

A new fossil has been discovered in northeastern China. The fossil proves that a modern group of spiders, called Golden Orbs, or Nephila, existed on Earth as early as the Jurassic period, 165 million years ago.
Nephila spiders are conspicuous spinners of circular webs composed of golden silk in tropical and subtropical regions. Originally, these spiders probably developed on the continent of Pangaea, in the China block, and from there they spread almost to the whole world, even before the division into continents in the Mesozoic era.
The fossil, called Nephila jurassica, is of a female and if the spiders of our time are an indication of the spiders of the past, then this female must have been much larger than her male partner. With legs spanning 15 cm and more, this spider is the largest spider fossil ever found, the researchers report. It seems that this spider is very close to modern Nephilaspider weaving spiders, and they are even similar in size. The fossil find suggests that the climate at the time was hot and humid.
Spiders have an organ called spinnerets. These are a kind of glands (mammals) located in the stomach of the snake and from which the cobwebs are secreted. Strong muscles move the spinnerets and even push the spider's liquid silk through tiny holes to create a flexible and strong fiber from which the spider's web is built.
In the fossilized spider, the spinnerets on its web are well preserved. This finding suggests that this spider wove large, permanent webs - a weapon in an arms race that could have influenced the evolution of insects and small birds trapped in these webs. The size of the fossil indicates predation by medium to large insects.

for news on the subject – ScienceShot: Jurassic Spider Not So Itsy Bitsy

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