Newly discovered spider has happy face on its back0

• Animals, Biology, Conservation, Environment, Evolution, SCIENCE, Spiders, Wildlife
• May 19, 2026

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The happy-face spider (Theridion grallator) is famous for the particularly cheery looking patterns on top of its abdomen. Ecologists in Hawaii first described the tiny, vibrantly green arachnids in 1900, and have long assumed them to be unique to