The spider databases at Museum Victoria and CSIRO are being less helpful than usual with this one. We're stumped, and would appreciate any thoughts...
The spider is:
- about 2 - 2.5cm in diameter
- is living on a web ([presumbly that it built)
- is not sharing the web with any spider friends as far as we can tell
- appears to be smooth-bodied, not hairy-bodied
- is catching a megatonne of mosquitos in its perch near my front door
UPDATED: It appears to be a female juvenile golden orb spider.
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a golden orb weaver.
http://www.mdavid.com.au/spiders/goldenorb.shtml
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/australian/nephila/Nephila.html
http://emilysblog3s.edublogs.org/2011/02/15/backyard-spiders/
Thanks Joy! From reading the links, we think she's a juvenile golden orb female. Happily this probably means a month or so more of her insect-trapping prowess, which is significantly reducing my mosquito load around the front door.
ReplyDeleteWe've had two of them in our backyard too.
ReplyDelete