Tangled-Web Spider
Theridion
This handsome spider is only 3 mm in length; this is a very close up picture taken in my Phoenix yard with a Coolpix 990 in macro mode, February 2003.
Theridiidae -- Tangled Web Spider Family
Like its cousin, the Black Widow, this Theridion sp. spider builds a rather complex web structure that is best at capturing crawling insects. The individual pictured here is a male of the species which has abondoned web building all together. Its legs have morphed to be long and slender and thus better suited for walking because it must find a female in her web. When he finds a web with a female he must enter cautiously lest he be mistaken for prey.
This species lives among the detritus of the compost heap where it fattens up on gnats and ants. Similar species if not this one can be found among vegetation debris along margins of riparian habitats. There are more than 50 species of Theridion in North America.
Errata
What is really wonderful about sharing what we know ... or think we know ... on the Internet, is that it is shared with many people who will have an opportunity to make a correction. Dr. Bradley of Ohio State University has sent me the following correction: I'm pretty certain that this is not Theridion, in fact I'm pretty sure it is actually a member of the family Linyphiidae. It appears to be an adult male. It might be in the genus Meioneta, Agyneta or even Lepthyphantes.