red-legged Nephila image on Google Image search results
October 14, 2011 10:18 am
I’m going to guess that this is NOT the sort of question that normally interests you guys, but I’m running into some odd (I think) data manipulation with regard to my image, and Nephila rufapoda in general. If you don’t mind, I’m going to send you a second image of the same red-legged Nephila from Taiwan. If you decide to publish that and comment on it, then I would expect it to turn up in Google Image search results -as did the first image of the same spider. It would be interesting to find out whether or not the image was subsequently removed.
I’m not usually like this, by the way. This is my first internet mystery.
Signature: Dane Harris
unidentified species of Nephila
Location: Taiwan
October 14, 2011 10:24 am
I have a second picture of that unidentified Nephila species from Taiwan. My friend Thomas Evjue has pointed out that the pedipalps on the critter in my picture are red, whereas the pedipalps in the only picture of Nephila rufapoda are black after the first joint. Is that enough of a difference to denote a different species, or could the difference be explained by geographic isolation?
Signature: Dane Harris
Hi again Dane,
We cannot say for certain if this is Nephila rufopoda, a subspecies or a different species. Thanks for sending another photo to accompany your previous photo.
WOW! That is SO cool looking.
It IS cool looking, isn’t it?
I did get some closure on this question.
The spider is (probably) Nephila pilipes. Nephila pilipes occasionally have variations in melanin that cause the legs to appear red. That has been pretty well documented by universities here on the island.