Table S1: Mechanical properties for the dragline silk of spiders from the Araneomorphae suborder. All measurements were conducted at room temperature; the relative humidity ranged between typically 30 and 65 %; only studies with more than one fiber tested were considered. Additional true scales data are available for genera Argiope (2 species), Cyclosa (2), Cyrtophora (2) and Leucage (2) [1].

Family / Species / # of tests / Scales / Silk collectiona / Gauge length (mm) / Strain rate (%/min) / Diam.(µm) / Strength (MPa) / Breaking strain (%) / Young's modulus (GPa) / Toughness(MJ/m3) / Ref.
Araneidae / Araneus diadematus / 44
11
16
15
38
100
46
20 / Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng. / Web
Grav
FS
FS
Web
FS
FS
FS / 38
38
38
-
12.7
12.7
12.7
12.7 / 33
33
33
50
100
100
100
100 / 3.11
2.71
2.80
-
3
2.5
2.9
1.8 / 1000b
1200b
1055b
1670
1120b
1200b
720b
690b / 33.5
31.8
25.7
24
40
35
34
32 / -
-
-
10.4
4.8b
7.3b
4.6b
6.9b / -
-
-
225
-
-
-
- / [2]
[2]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[4]
[4]
[4]
Araneus gemma / 18 / Eng. / Web / 38 / 33 / 3.59 / 1015 / 33.4 / - / - / [2]
Araneus gemmoides / 10
23 / Eng.
Eng.c / FS
FS / 40
21 / 12.5
60 / 2.5
- / 4700
1060 / 15
29 / -
8.3 / -
141.2 / [5]
[6]
Araneus sericatusd / 60
60
8
10
8
60 / Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng. / Web
Web
Web
Grav
FS
Web / -
-
38
38
38
- / 3
14
33
33
33
140 / 1.9
1.9
1.40
2.66
1.80
1.9 / 810
880
1055b
940b
1325b
1420 / 24
24
23.2
23.5
32
27 / 9.81
8.62
-
-
-
20.5 / 91.3
105.6
-
-
-
158 / [7]
[7]
[2]
[2]
[2]
[7]
Araneus ventricosus / 20
20 / Eng. / FS
Grav / 10
10 / 100
100 / - / 1070
1780 / 26
35 / - / - / [8]
Argiope argentata / 14
62
9
2 / Eng.
Eng.c
Eng.
Eng. / FS
FS
Web
FSf / -
21
12.7
50.8 / 50
60
100
100 / -
3.5e
6.23
2.2b / 1910
1200
970b
430b / 24
23
42
17.2 / 11.1
8.2
5.1b
3.9b / 225
116.3
-
- / [3]
[6]
[4]
[9]
Argiope aurantia / 32
13
30
15
6 / Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng.
Eng. / Web
Web
FS
FS
FSf / 12.7
12.7
12.7
12.7
50.8 / 100
100
100
100
100 / 4.8
4.2
4.29
2.93
4.6b / 965b
1080b
580b
720b
835b / 35
32
22
24
20.6 / 5.1b
5.2b
6.1b
5.0b
10.7b / -
-
-
-
- / [4]
[4]
[4]
[4]
[9]
Argiope bruennichi / >1 / Eng. / - / 20 / 50 / 3.47 / 1320 / 22 / 11.8 / 134.5 / [10]
Argiope lobata / 12 / Eng. / FS / - / 50 / - / 1520 / 24 / 12 / 196 / [3]
Argiope trifasciata / 28
10
14 / Eng.
True
Eng. / Web
FS
FS / 20
20
21 / 1.2
5
60 / 6.6
3.0
3.24 / 600
1300
1290 / 30
17
22 / 6.9
10.7
9.3 / 90
240
145 / [11]
[12]
[13]
Cyrtophora citricola / 13 / Eng. / FS / - / 50 / 4.3g / 1650 / 24 / 18 / 231 / [3]
Euriophora fuligenia / 4
42 / Eng. / Web
FS / 12.7
12.7 / 100
100 / 5.55
4.21 / 980b
500b / 26
22 / 8.5b
5.5b / -
- / [4]
[4]
Nuctenea sclopetaria / 11 / Eng. / FS / - / 50 / - / 1660 / 24 / 13 / 245 / [3]
Parawixia audax / 9 / Eng. / FSf / 50.8 / 100 / 3.3b / 535b / 27.2 / 3.5b / - / [9]
Filistatidae / Kukulcania hibernalis / 102 / Eng.c / Hori / 21 / 60 / - / 830 / 26 / 22.2 / 132.2 / [6]
Nephilidae / Nephila clavata / 5 / True / FS / 25 / 60 / - / 665 / 20 / 8.2 / 115 / [1]
Nephila clavipes / 10
10
66
43
47 / Eng.
Eng.
Eng.c
Eng.
Eng. / FS
FS
FS
FS
FSf / 5
40
21
12.7
50.8 / 6
12.5
60
100
100 / 5.23
-
-
-
4.4b / 830
4600
1000
820b
840b / 12
23
20
17
16.6 / 12.1
-
13.8
10.6b
10.6b / 63.2
-
111.2
-
- / [14]
[5]
[6]
[4]
[9]
Nephila cruentata / 12 / Eng. / FSf / 50.8 / 100 / 5.5b / 520b / 18.5 / 4.7b / - / [9]
Nephila edulis / 12
21
15 / Eng.
Eng.
Eng. / FS
FS
FS / 6.9
12
- / 45
50
50 / 3.57
3.35
- / 1290
1150
1440 / 39
39
24 / 8.7
7.9
16.6 / 217
220b
198 / [15]
[16]
[3]
Nephila inaurata
(Walckenaer, 1841) / 10 / True / FS / 20 / 5 / 5.9 / 1800 / 26 / 14.2 / 264 / [12]
Nephila inaurata madagascariensis
(Vinson, 1863) / 60 / Eng.
True / FS / 30 / 7 / 8.7 / 645
830 / 28
25 / 8.2
8.3 / 270 / This study
Nephila pilipes / 5 / True / FS / 25 / 60 / - / 515 / 30 / 6.2 / 77 / [1]
Nephila senegalensis / 13 / Eng. / FS / - / 50 / - / 1840 / 24 / 15.4 / 284 / [3]
Plectreuridae / Plectreurys tristis / 108 / Eng.c / Hori / 21 / 60 / - / 640 / 29 / 16.1 / 112.1 / [6]
Tetragnathidae / Leucauge venusta / 61 / Eng.c / Grav / 21 / 60 / - / 1200 / 27 / 10.6 / 151 / [6]
Theridiidae / Latrodectus hesperush / 10
70
52
30 / Eng.
Eng.c
True
Eng.c / FS
FS
FS
Web / -
21
21
12 / 50
60
60
105 / -
-
2-2.5
4 / 1440
1000
996
1100 / 24
45
33
22 / 17.3
10.2
10.4
- / 243
180.9
194
136 / [3]
[6]
[17]
[18]

a Grav : silked by a suspending spider, FS : forced silking, Web : taken from the web, Hori : obtained from a spider trailing along an horizontal surface.

b Calculated from the original data assuming a density of 4/3 (Zemlin measured d = 1.35 g.cm-3 for Argiope aurantia and Nephila clavipes spiders [9]).

c The authors also calculated true stress vs. true strain tensile curves but did not disclose the resulting average values.

d The taxonomic classification was changed to Latinioides sclopetarius in 2010 [17].

e Value from the same research team [19].

f Most fibers tested in this reference had been obtained by forced silking.

g Value from Peters [20].

h The average diameter for Lactodestrus hesperus "Grav" fibers is 3.3 µm [21].

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