# Shaded orbweaver (*Metellina merianae*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/shaded-orbweaver  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The shaded orbweaver (Metellina merianae) is a species in the family Tetragnathidae, order Araneae. Recorded adults reach 7.11 mm in length. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Switzerland.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | 7.11 mm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, human_modified, rocky |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Arachnida
- order: Araneae
- family: Tetragnathidae
- genus: Metellina
- species: *Metellina merianae* (Scopoli, 1763)

Synonyms: *Aranea antriada*, *Aranea fusca*, *Aranea merianae*, *Epeira celata*, *Epeira inclinata*, *Meta merianae*, *Meta muraria*, *Meta subterranea*, *Metellina antriada*, *Metellina celata*, *Metellina fusca*, *Metellina fusca*, *Metellina merianae celata*, *Metellina muraria*, *Metellina subterranea*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Switzerland

## Common questions

### How big is the shaded orbweaver?

An adult shaded orbweaver measures 7.11 mm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the shaded orbweaver live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the shaded orbweaver for 1 country: Switzerland. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

### What kind of animal is the shaded orbweaver?

The shaded orbweaver (Metellina merianae) belongs to the family Tetragnathidae in the order Araneae.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844

Cite as: Shaded orbweaver (Metellina merianae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/shaded-orbweaver