Appearance Theridion grallator
female
the spider 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long. morphs have pattern resembling smiley face or grinning clown face on yellow body. each spider has unique pattern, , patterns differ island island. lack markings altogether.
on island of maui, happy types seem follow simple mendelian inheritance rules, while on other hawaiian islands body inheritance patterns seem sex-limited. variation possibly kind of camouflage against birds, natural enemies of significance, counteract pattern recognition predators. background color may change according food spider has eaten , t. grallator small, hides during day, , not significant prey item species of predator, possible large variety of patterns serves no significant adaptive purpose.
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