CLOSED: What spider made this incredible hanging cone shaped web?

CritterLady01 Humble, TX Oct 28, 2014

Found this web in the garage in the Houston, TX area. It appears to be a solid cone with dense webbing on all side. The center or inside of the cone appears to be empty and free of threads. There are heavy "guy wires" that go across to the wall and down to objects below. And the convergence of web at the top of the cone creates a thick white web "rope" that anchors the structure. There appears to be a tangle of random threads below the structure containing some sort of bug parts or trash? I did not find any spiders around but there are lots of hiding places. Never seen such an interesting web!

Post #9965993

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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Oct 28, 2014

This is a new one for me as well - keep your eyes peeled for any possible inhabitants, and if you see anything, try to get a photo of it. Although the web is similar in shape to ones spun by some members of the family Agelenidae, the orientation appears wrong - see http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/funnel_spiderweb_091708.jpg

Post #9966091

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CritterLady01 Humble, TX Oct 30, 2014

Yes, I thought it might be a funnel web, but the part where all the threads come together is actually sealed up, not open like a funnel, doesn't even look like there was an attempt to leave it open. So maybe some kind of sheetweb?

Post #9966963

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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Oct 30, 2014

Construction doesn't look typical for a sheetweb spider either, but Nature is full of surprises with exceptions to nearly every 'rule', so I guess we'll just have to hope that the 'engineer in charge' shows up...

Post #9967011

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CritterLady01 Humble, TX Oct 31, 2014

OK! Here is the engineer. I had a lot of trouble trying to get it's picture so unfortunately the pictures are not very good. Its a small spider, black on the top side and lighter on the bottom with light markings or stripes on the abdomen.
The web is damaged now (cat) and no longer a cone but the spider was sitting in some tangle threads near the "wall" that is left.

Post #9967312

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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Oct 31, 2014

Well I'll be... It IS a sheetweb spider in the family Linyphiidae! This is a huge family with hundreds of species in the US alone, so I am loathe to attempt a more specific i.d., but here are a couple of the commoner species:
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/30982757
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/124856485