spider ID in China
Greetings,
I live on a small island in southeastern China. I often go hiking, and I come across this spider quite often. It’s certainly the largest spider I’ve ever found, and I’d like to know more about it for safety’s sake and also just out of curiosity. I browsed through the spider sections on your site, and I’m wondering if it’s a "Nephila clavipes." I’ve attached a picture of it. By the way, I think whatsthatbug.com is an excellent resource. It has helped me many times, especially since I’ve been living here (and don’t speak the language very well). Thanks for sharing your expertise! Best,
Tobias
Hi Tobias,
Nephila clavipes, the Golden Silk Spider, is a New World species, but there are many more members of the genus in Asia. The closest we can find is an immature specimen on Wikipedia of Nephila pilipes which ranges in Japan ,China ,Taiwan ,Singapore ,Myanmar ,Sri Lanka ,India ,Papua New Guinea , and Northern Australia.