Identify this Indonesian Spider!
July 25, 2009
This spider was hanging on a web between a tree and a powerline. It was pretty far away, so I couldn’t tell how large it was. It seemed to be much larger than my palm though.
Steph K.
Suryabaya, Indonesia

Golden Silk Spider

Dear Steph,
This is a Golden Silk Spider in the genus Nephila.  We believe, based on an Indonesian Website we located, that this is Nephila pilipes. The website indicates:  “Nephila pilipes is a species of golden orb-web spider. It can be found in Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Myanmar, 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.” Your specimen is a female.

Spider web full of color
July 18, 2009
Hi I live in  Oregon, and  by Crater Lake I saw this beautiful spider web. have you ever seen one like this?. I wonder what kind of spider made this?  If you have time please let me know. thanks so much
Laurie Hayden-quinn
Azalea  Oregon

Orbweaver Web catches the light

Hi Laurie,
Your Spider Web photo is quite beautiful.  We cannot tell you the species, but this is the web of one of the Orbweavers in the family Araneidae.  The color is probably the illusion created by the silk and moisture acting like a prism when struck by light from the perfect direction.

Spiders on Drugs
November 14, 2009
In doing research for our book that must be completed in sixteen days, we stumbled upon this wonderful website that contains images of spider webs spun while under the influence of various drugs.

Spider beauty
Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 4:46 PM
I found this beautiful spider today (June 15th) walking in my garden, across goldenrod, lily leaves, and onto a dead stump. It moved quickly but gracefully. I have been all through my three field guides and Bug Guide, and I can’t find anything close. I live in Newton, New Jersey, up in the northwest corner of the state. Thank you!
Jeannie
Newton, New Jersey

Male Orbweaver, we believe

Hi Jeannie,
This is a wonderful image. Based on the presence of the well developed pedipalps, the appendages closest to the mouth, we would say that this is a male spider. Male Orbweavers tend to be very reclusive, and they are not often photographed. The considerably larger females often spin large webs in the same location for long periods of time. The females are more sedentary, preferring to stay home in the web and capture insects while the diminutive male travels in search of a mate. We would venture a guess that this may be a male Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus, though we have not seen a photograph of one. We are basing that possible identification on the similarity of the markings on the legs and abdomen of your specimen to the images posted on BugGuide of female Marbled Orbweavers. There is much variability in the markings and coloration of many of the Araneus species, and it is possible that your specimen is another member of the genus or even one of the other genera of Orbweavers. We gladly welcome our readership to assist in this identification.

Thank you so much! Your website is wonderful. Isn’t it funny, the ways we can brighten people’s lives!
Jeannie LeBlanc

Update from Eric Eaton:
Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:47:16 -0700 (PDT)
Daniel:
I can’t even tell what family that spider belongs in, and not sure if I know anyone else who can, either.  I’d be leaning toward a cobweb weaver (Theridiidae) or sheetweb weaver (Linyphiidae), though….
Eric

Argipoe appensas mating activity
Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM
I got this shot of a male Argipoe appensas? after it spent some time on the web of a female. I did not get a shot of the actual mating. I’m not sure it occurred. However, I wonder if the small appendage and organ to the left of his head are sex organs and/or sperm packets?
gregp25
Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii

Orbweavers

Dear gregp25,
Thanks for sending us a photo of a pair of Argiope appensa preparing to mate. The much smaller male will spend considerable time in the web of the female until he has an opportunity to mate. In speaking about a related species, Argiope aurantia, BugGuide mentions the palps on the male spider being reproductive organs. The Biodiversity Explorer website discusses the copulatory organs of spiders thus: “The copulatory organs of the Araneomorpha, or true spiders, have entelegyne features. The male palps are enlarged distally (at the ends) due to a complex copulatory organs or genital bulbs that resemble boxing gloves. Some tiny male spiders have ridiculously large palps relative to their body size. The male and female genital organs are very specific and function on a “lock and key” principle. These organs are used to identify spiders to species level. The female genitalia, the epigyne, is situated ventrally (underside) between the booklung slits on the epigastric furrow. The epigyne is a black, shiny, chitinous, oval to round plate with two openings. “

Orbweaver

Correction: Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Aloha Daniel -
Regarding the post on Sunday:
A pair of Orbweavers from Hawaii
Argipoe appensas mating activity
Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM
The photo from Kaua`i appears to have an adult female and a sub-adult female. Also, the writer is confusing the stabilimentum with something to do with reproduction.
The observations I’ve made of the males on Maui are that they have very little of the same markings on their back as the female. They are also seriously small compared to the females. Most people totally miss the boys hanging out on the other side of the web because of their X shape and the general size of these girls.
Also, regarding the first image – the male would need to be on the other side of the web. It is the best place for them to sip on the meal provided by the female. But who knows what they do when I’m not looking at them? Ha!
The link you have to BugGuide – for the Argiope Aurantia – the male is really large compared to what I have seen here on Maui for the Appensas. Of course, with the way animals can adapt to their environments, Kaua`i appensas and Maui ones could be different!
Right now, due to the wet and seriously windy weather in Ha`iku, our Appensas are hiding in their appropriate safe zones so I can’t send you an image of a pair here. I will make sure you get an image when I can. Also will include an image of egg sacks, which look rather like a wrapped-up used food source.
These images are from lower Kula on Maui – 30 July 2005. I had a house with an outdoor shower and these girls shared bug reducing duties for me.
Mahalo – Thanks – for all the enjoyment your efforts bring to the world.
Eliza B

Argiope appensa

Thanks for correcting our error Eliza.

spider in web with stabillamenta
Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 5:51 PM
i found this spider in a forest.i think its a saint andrews cross spider.Can you help me identify it?
curious
singapore

St. Andrew's Cross Spider

Dear Curious,
The St. Andrew’s Cross Spider, Argiope versicolor, is found in Singapore according to Joseph K H Koh’s Guide to Common Singapore Spiders, and the web in your image is perfectly consistent with that of the species, so we are confident your identification is correct.  Our memories of our own Catholic education did not provide a reason for the X stabilimentum and the life and death of St. Andrew, and we are quite curious since we are currently working on a book chapter on Entomology and Etymology, and your letter gives us a wonderful excuse to try to do a bit of research.  We located the following on Wikipedia:  “Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at Patras (Patrae) in Achaea . Though early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours ,[3]describe Andrew bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Christ was crucified, a tradition grew up that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross) and commonly known as ” Saint Andrew’s Cross “; this was performed at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross on which Christ was crucified. [4]“The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the later Middle Ages,” Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the materials studied by Louis Réau. [5]“

female Argiope protensa
Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Found this lovely lady in my vegetable patch. Thanks to Ron Atkinson (University of Southern Queensland) and Peter Chew (Brisbane Insects website) for ID of this member of the St Andrews Cross family. The orange stripes are generally not as pronounced as on this specimen but colour variation is apparently common amongst this species.
aussietrev
Capricornia region, Queensland

Argiope protensa

As always Trevor,
Thanks for your wonderful submission and identification.  The abdomen on this Argiope protensa is significantly different from that of most Argiope species.

Argiope protensa