Arachnode

The Arachnode is a spider-like enemy in  and  that lives on an interactable web. While dormant on its web, it resembles a cocoon, with a black and yellow striped and sphere-shaped body. This shape and coloring comes from the eight legs wrapped tightly around its body; the actual body is a small black orb with yellow circles instead of stripes. Once a Pikmin or leader gets caught in the web, it uncurls its legs after a while, and wanders up to its prey, consuming them quickly once it has reached them. It may also wander around the web freely in order to avoid Pikmin that are being thrown at it. The web will collapse once the Arachnode is defeated.

Pikmin caught in the web can be saved by whistling at them. This is important, especially with a small squad, as Pikmin shaken off by the Arachnode will usually get stuck in the web. Winged Pikmin carrying objects will get stuck in webs that are along their route, making webs the primary obstacle for these types of Pikmin.

Behavior
The Arachnode sits still when nothing is near, but when a leader or a Pikmin is thrown into its web, it will take on its spider-like form and attack its ensnared prey. It eats Pikmin by clamping down on them with its wide mouth, and it eats them quickly, so it can be difficult to save them in time. When all Pikmin are removed from the web, the Arachnode will take a moment and then go back into its resting state. It does not return to a specific point on the web to rest, so it can be put in a more vulnerable position for a second attack. When an Arachnode is defeated, it will fall to the ground and its web will collapse.

If unsupervised Winged Pikmin carry an item right into an Arachnode's web, they will get stuck, whatever goods they had will fall to the ground, and the creature will proceed to eat them. Fortunately, Arachnodes pose no threat to any other types of Pikmin when left unattended.

Bizarrely, when a leader is thrown into an Arachnode's web, said leader will become slightly two-dimensional. If the enemy attacks, the leader may shrink even further or disappear altogether. This is merely aesthetic, however.

Strategy
Rock Pikmin will kill an Arachnode in just three hits (just two in Pikmin 3 Deluxe 's Normal difficulty), and can hit the Arachnode from either side of its web. Other Pikmin types can only attack the Arachnode on the side in which it rests, and they can get stuck if the Arachnode is too high or if they are thrown from too close to the web. Winged Pikmin are best for getting an Arachnode down from a high point in its web since they can charge at it, after which point other, stronger Pikmin can be employed. If Winged Pikmin are not available, any Pikmin can latch on to a low-resting Arachnode with a careful throw, and Yellow Pikmin can usually reach a high-resting one. As a last resort, a Pikmin or a leader can be thrown into the web to bait the Arachnode into a vulnerable position.

Trivia

 * The Arachnode is the only spider based enemy in the main series to have eight legs, as all Arachnorbs and Dweevils have only four.