This book is written to open the eyes of Singaporeans to the fascinating world of spiders. We are generally aware of the presence of spiders in houses, gardens and forests, but many of us appear oblivious to the fact that Singapore is endowed with a rich variety of spiders, nothwithstanding its compact size and urbanised environment. This book will try to highlight the multitude of colours, shapes and sizes displayed by local spiders. It will prompt you to take a closer look at spider webs, so that you may marvel at the diversity and beauty of these architectural wonders. It will also try to demonstrate that among those spiders which do not ensnare prey with their webs, many have perfected the art of hunting, ambushing and fishing through an exciting array of structural and behavioural adaptations.

This book is also intended to help teachers and students in their ecological studies. It serves to focus attention on the role played by spiders as a predator of insects in nature. It is also hoped that students will now be able to be more precise in the identification and recording of spiders found in habitats ranging from gardens and forests to mangrove swamps.

Joseph Koh