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Spider Photos - Golden Silk Orbweaver (Australia) |
Here's some photos of
Golden Silk Orb Weavers. In the US they call this nephila species
Golden Silk Weavers and call the Black and Yellow Argiope a golden orb
weaver, which is a bit confusing. In Australia they are called
just Golden Orb Weavers.
Golden silk orb weavers were moved from the Araneidae
family (orbweavers) into the Tetragnathidae (longjawed orbweavers) a
few years ago. Nephila clavipes is the only species in the
Nephila genus that exists in the US. The venom of the golden silk orb-weaver is
powerful, but not lethal to humans. Its venom is a neurotoxin similar to that of the black widow; however, its venom is not nearly as powerful. Its bite
can cause local pain and redness with blisters forming. This bite usually resolves within 24 hours except for the bite mark.
They are not considered dangerous to humans, with most bites being less
painful than a bee sting, but are a great nuisance to people walking in
the bush with their strong yellow sticky webs. The
webs are made in open woods or edges of dense forest, usually
attached to trees and low shrubs, although they may be in the tops
of trees or between the wires of phone or electricity lines. Their
prey consists of a wide variety of small to medium-sized flying insects,
including flies, bees, wasps, and small moths and butterflies. N. clavipes (and many other Nephila species) are frequently victimized by Argyrodes, a genus of very small black-and-silver spiders that are kleptoparasitic. As many as a few dozen may infest a single Nephila web to feed from the host spider's captured prey. The frequent rebuilding or abandoning of webs by Nephila may be a tactic for controlling Argyrodes. Spiny orb-weaver spiders also inhabit the webs of Nephila in order to obtain food.
Please select a section. |
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Nephila edulis - Australia |
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Nephila edulis is a species of large spider of the Nephilidae family. It is referred to the common name edible golden silk spider or golden silk orb-weaver. It occurs widely in Australia, where it is found in both tropical and temperate regions, and in parts of New Guinea and New Caledonia.
It has a large body size variability, females can reach a body length of about 23 millimetres, males about 6 mm. The cephalothorax is black with a white pattern on the back, and a yellow underside; the abdomen is grey to brown.
The web is about 1 metre in diameter and protected on one or both sides by a strong "barrier" web. N. edulis breeds from February to May, and produces an average of 380 eggs.
The species name edulis means "edible" in Latin. While it is not entirely clear why this particular species is considered edible, it is known that several Nephila
species are considered a delicacy in New Guinea, where they are plucked
by the legs from their webs and lightly roasted over an open fire.
The species was first collected and named by Jacques Labillardiere, in Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse
(1799), becoming the second Australian spider to described by a European naturalist.
- Wikipedia |
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21 June, 2010:
I stumbled across your website on spiders when I was planning a trip up to the Northern Territory in Australia. I was looking for a website to give me a better look at the red back spider since I’ve been seeing then everywhere in the Adelaide Hills near where I just moved to (from the United States). Anyway, I took this picture of what I am pretty sure to be a female golden orb spider and thought you might like to have it. It was taken in the Flinders Ranges and I do remember the distinctive golden strands in its web.
Sincerely,
Celeste
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21 June - Sadly my nephila has pased away but not before she
laid another lot of eggs.
14 May, 2010:
Photos of female nephila in Brisbane and her beautiful
golden egg sac - glen
Click for a larger view |
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Reply: This is a golden silk orb
weaver.
23 March, 2010
Hi,
Do you know what this spider is? Was seen on Fraser Island, Australia.
Many Thanks,
Steve |
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Reply: This is a golden silk orb weaver,
very common in Australia, this is a great shot of the golden silk it
makes. The smaller spider is probably the male - glen
16 October, 2009:
Hi Glen,
I tried to identify this spider but cant! Would you be able to help me please? The 2 spiders (one with large abdomen or sack) shared a huge messy web. I live in Brisbane.
Thanks!
Gianna |
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Reply: This is a golden a silk orb
weaver.
17 May, 2009:
Hi Glen/Pro, I went to the Sydney Fish Market today, and
saw a spider there, due to my camera problems, I believe it
wouldn't be so easy to identify. As I have been browsing your
website, I think it is from the orb weaver or that sort? First I
thought it was a Brown Widow, but then I noticed that Brown
Widows don't spin webs AND it did not have an hour glass shape,
and it didn't have the right pattern. Thanks! Kay (10) |
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These pics wre of a large spider of which
I do not have the name for. As you cn
see it is a female with baby spiders around
her. These were taken around June this year,
I sent only the ones that were in focus.
Many of
them were blurred and I took many of them
from different angles. I'm in a couple
taking shots from above the spider. Regards,
Michael
Click for a larger view.
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Hi there
We live in Port Hedland, Western Australia.. this
spider is actively building a large web at our front
door. Could you please see if you know what type of
Spider it is?
Thanks George
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21 April, 2007:
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18 March, 2007:
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25 April, 2006:
I Hello
I have attached a picture of a spider I photographed
whilst on holiday in North Belmont, Newcastle NSW. I was told at the time it was a St Andrews cross ,
but I know think it is a type of orb weaver. I could
only photograph the belly side as the web was on a house
boundary, regards Adrian Day
Click for a
larger view
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25 April, 2006:
I looked all through your web site but couldn’t find any
reference to a spider we found today in the back yard
catching and eating bees. Attached is an image, can you tell
us what it is? Thanks
Rab & Jo \Click for a
larger view
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11 March, 2006:
Hi Glen, attached a photo of a spider that my son Jack had a run in with,
He rode his quad through the web, both spider and son shaken but
ok, regards
Shane, Perth, WA |
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13 February, 2006:
Hi Glen I am righting to you from Colo in the lower blue
mountains of New South Wales Australia I've been living here for
two years and have not come across this spider before but for
some reason this summer these spiders are hanging webs
in-between trees and it not just one or two there's allot. Could
you please identify this spider for me and give me a little
background on it.
Thanks J C
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18 April, 2005:
Glen,
I took this close-up of a spider in the garden at Mulwala NSW
(Yarrawonga VIC) from all indications it would appear that it is a
"Tent spider". Am I correct?
Cheers,
Denis McNelly |
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15 April, 2005:
Enclosed please find a photo of a spider, found on Central
Coast (Gosford, NSW, Australia). The total length, including legs,
is approx. 7 cm. Can you please identify, what type of spider it is?
Regards
Jana Rich |
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14 April, 2005:
Hello
great site. I was wondering if you could help identify this spider
for me. There are heaps of them around my house here on the central
coast and they are quite large. Any ideas?
simon connor |
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21 March, 2005:
Hi Glen,
I was wondering if you could assist me in identifying the spider I
have included in attachment, which we came across yesterday
afternoon while hiking a trail in South Eastern Australia..
Thanks in advance,
Sebastien |
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23 February, 2005:
Hi,
This guy has set up camp under my pergola. Could you please tell me
what sort he is and if at all I should worry about him being there.
Cheers,
Sue Cowmeadow
Allendale North South Aust. |
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11 March 2004:
Hi Glen
I know that you said you don't identify spiders but I was hoping
that you might have a guess at this one. I live in Perth, Western
Australia. The spider is about 7 cm long. It's a pretty clear photo
so I don't need to describe it! Just wondering if I need to get rid
of it and if its harmful to pets and humans. Thanks heaps
I hope to get a reply from you!
Deb
Reply:
Another a golden orb weaver. |
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25 February, 2004:
Hello Glen
This beautiful spider lives in our back yard here in Griffith NSW.
It's very docile, we think it's a member of the Orb family but not
sure. Its body is about 3cm in length 1.5cm wide with very long legs
that are very pointed. What is it Glen? Can
you help us?
Cheers
The Fitzpatrick
Griffith NSW Reply:
It looks like a golden orb weaver. |
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16 December, 2003:
Just wondering if you would happen to know what type of spider
this is.
Kind Regards
Hannah Lingley
www.ple.com.au <http://www.ple.com.au/>
hannah@ple.com.au |
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26 March,
2003:
This spider lives outside our office door in Wollongong and
has been steadily growing for the past couple of months. I've
noticed that he likes to eat moths for breakfast, he has a new one
every morning I arrive to work. His body would be about 40mm in
length and about 100mm including his legs. Can anybody identify what
he is?Looks like a golden orb
weaver. |
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18 February, 2002
Hi there,
Here's a great pic of an awesome golden orb full of eggs. She has
built her web near our clothes line. You can see how her web is made
of golden strands. I had at first thought it was someone's blonde
hair when I walked into her web. (sorry spidey!) Since I have
visited your site I've learned a lot about spiders & how important
they are to our environment, so I have encouraged her to stay in our
yard and instructed all visitors not to knock down her web.
My previously arachnaphobic husband has even learned to appreciate
spiders and he took this photo. This spider now has a very insecure
and small looking young male "husband" living with her in the web,
as well as about eight bugs all wrapped up & ready for dinner when
her babies are born.
Karyn, Southport, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
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Hi kids, one last email from us for today!
This orb built her web near our poolshed & my arachnaphobic husband
walked into it when he was out there at night to put chlorine in the
pool. He wasn't real impressed, but as he has learned a lot about
spiders from your site, he decided to talk to her...He made hand
movements above his head and said "I don't want you to build your
web here - no webs here OK!" and when we went out the next night she
had built her web in the same place, but with an arch around where
he had asked her not to build the web. Now he can go out to the pool
shed and not get his head stuck in her web - and she can live
happily where she likes it and there's plenty of bugs for her to
catch & eat. I wonder if anyone else has similar stories?
~Karyn & Clint, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
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12 February, 2002 Hi,
I have just been looking through your spiders web site (fabulous).
Can you idenitfy the spider in the attached photo? This photo was
taken in my Blue Mountains home recently. Would like to know what it
is if possible??
Best Regards,
Greg Harper |
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29 March, 2001 -
Here's some photos of a golden orb weaver sent in by Mark, a "a
pommie tourist who's none too fond of eight-legged critters" .
To quote Mark: "That said I do
find them fascinating, from a respectable distance of course.
Interesting web site, keep it up!
Regards
Mark" |
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9 March,
2001 -
A great site, interesting
and informative. It inspired me to take a few close -ups of a spider
enjoying breakfast. She's been in residence in a large web outside my
bedroom window for the last month, keeping the local flies
under control. I don't suppose anyone can identify her for me? The
close-up photos were taken with a Pentax EI-2000 in macro mode, which
seemed to work pretty well, seeing I was standing on a chair waving it
about 2cm from the spider's nose at the time!
thanks,
Hugh Grady
Beechworth, Victoria
hugh_grady@yahoo.com
Click on each photo for a
larger picture.
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20
April, 2001
Hello again!
This is a picture of Spider City in our backyard - you can't really
see it all from this photo, but 7 golden orbs have built a city
between a palm tree and the pergola. Their webs are diagonal and
parallel to each other so that the effect is of a giant bug- net. We
thought that spiders were lone predators, and so we were surprised
to see these ones living in a community. Each web is connected to
another for support, the way the webs are built looks a bit like: \
\ \ \ from the side, except that each web behind is a bit higher
than the one in front. It seems as thought they must have
communicated with one another in some way to build this city - does
anyone know more about this phenomenon? It is very interesting.
~Karyn & Clinton Durbin, Southport, Gold Coast, Queensland,
Australia |
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Nephila pilipes/maculata - Australia |
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Nephila pilipes is a species of golden orb-web spider and
is also called Nephila maculata. It can be found in Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Papua New Guinea, and Northern Australia. It is commonly found in primary and secondary forests and gardens. Females are large and grow to a body size of 30-50mm, with males growing to 5–6 mm.
The Nephila pilipes' web is vertical with a fine irregular mesh and not symmetrical, with the hub is usually nearer the top. Rather than egg sacks being hung in the web, a pit is dug which is then covered with plant debris or soil.
The first, second and fourth pairs of legs of juvenile females have dense hairy brushes, but as the spider matures these brushes disappear.
Wikipedia |
11 July, 2010:
When in Australia I came across the spider shown in the photograph enclosed.
Can you please identify as I cannot find a match
Thank you
TH |
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28 June, 2010:
I live in Far North Queensland (Townsville) and we have found this spider in out garden, and we are wondering what kind it might be |
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24/10/08:
BREAKING NEWS EXCLUSIVE:
The man who took the amazing photos of a spider eating a bird on the Tableland, west of Cairns, has been found. The images caused a media frenzy and sped around the world.
A 75-year-old retired Tableland man, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, took the pictures that sparked an international media frenzy yesterday in his Tableland back yard, near Cairns, last week.
"It was an awful thing. The spider was just chewing into it's head," he told The Cairns Post.
"The spider's head was going up and down, and it was gouging into him (the chestnut-breasted manikin) at the top of his beak. It was still wrapping it up.
"And then the spider just left it. It was like it was too big or something," the man said.
Spider experts said yesterday the photographs showed the orb injecting venom into the stunned bird.
But the photographer maintained that what he saw was a dead bird.
The photos were originally sent around via an email and, when picked up by Cairns.com.au, the story travelled all the world via the internet.
Cairns.com.au has received over 500,000 page views for the Spider Eating Bird story and photo gallery and have received comments from as far afield as Texas and New Jersey in America and from the UK.
The story has obviously captured the world's imagination. |
THIS amazing image of a mammoth spider devouring a bird was taken in the backyard of a property near Cairns.
The image, which is being circulated via email worldwide, is real, according to wildlife experts, The Cairns Post reported.
The photo, believed to have been taken earlier this week, shows the spider clenching its legs around a lifeless bird trapped in a web at a property near Atherton, west of Cairns.
Joel Shakespeare, the head spider keeper at NSW's Australian Reptile Park, has told ninemsn the spider was a golden orb weaver.
"Normally they prey on large insects, it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he said.
Mr Shakepeare said he had seen golden orb weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.
Mr Shakespeare told ninemsn the bird, a chestnut-breasted mannikin which appears frozen in an angel-like pose in the pictures, is likely to have flown into the web and got caught.
"It wouldn't eat the whole bird," he said.
Photos copyright 75 year old man, stories Cairns Post & News.com.au |
23 October, 2008:
Hello,
Can you tell me what this? Do they occur in Western Australia?
Amazing photo – it has my accounts staff terrified.
Marc
Click for a
larger view. |
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15 June, 2008:
Could you please identify this little creature that I stumbled on the other day on Magnetic Island.
Hopefully
Geoff
Click for a
larger view.
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11 August, 2006:
You may be interested in the attached – I believe it to
be a Golden Orb which was taken when I was on a university
field trip on Hinchinbrook Island , Far North Queensland in
2003. © Matthew Taverner Size of web – well over a
metre square. Approximate size of specimen was 5 inches in
the vertical plane -maybe 3 inches across. Distance from my
face was +/- 12 inches. Condition of model – anxious….
I was studying for a Masters in Ecologically Sustainable
Tourism Planning at James Cook University . My thesis “
Dangerous Creatures and the Fear Factor – A study of
Visitors perceptions towards threats from wildlife and the
potential impacts on tourism activities in North Queensland”
Happy to share it with your readers with due
acknowledgement.
Regards Matthew
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25/04/01
- Here's an answer from Matthew Shaw at the Qld Museum about the spider
below. Many thanks to them for replying to Fabio:
"Your
spider is one of the Golden orb weavers, in the case, Nephila pilipes.
This species is especially large and spectacular and is well known from
tropical north Queensland, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific. I have seen
a small specimen as far south as Coffs Harbour but I doubt whether they
would occur much further south than this. There is a report of this
species laying her eggs in soil.
Are there any males in the web associated with her? Males are much
smaller, about 6mm in body length, and will often be somewhere in her
web and at other times even clambering on her body." |
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20
April, 2001 - Here's some photos of a spider perhaps our
viewers can help to identify. Please
email us if you can. Fabio
has even included a little movie of his spider.
Click here to view it. Click on each photo for a larger view.
"Hi, Just wondering if you knew the name of this spider. It's at our
holiday house Boreen Point on the Sunshine Coast
Thanks Fabio" |
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Reply: This is Nephila maculata
12 June, 2004:
Hi Everyone,
I thought you might be keen on seeing this rather interesting photo
I snapped whilst on holidays during Easter. I believe it’s a
Nephila Maculata (Golden Orb Weaver- tropical size!) that has
just malted its exoskeleton. It was absolutely huge! Body
about 50mm and a leg span of about 200mm. If you look
carefully, you can see a couple of much smaller males hanging
around. I
bumped into this lovely creature found it on my property which is
situated in the mountains west of Sarina, Qld. The area is thickly
forested and absolutely teeming with large spiders
representing many species.
Marcus Rowe
Mackay, Queensland |
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