Nephila spp.
Description
Golden Orb Weavers are large spiders with silvery-grey bodies and brown-black, often yellow banded legs. The males are much smaller in size and red-brown in colour.
Orb weaving spiders build large, wheel-shaped orb webs. The strong silk has a golden sheen. The spiders remain in their webs day and night and rely on a 'barrier network' of threads to protect them from predators. Webs are placed in openings between trees and shrubs where insects are likely to fly.
In the Golden Orb Weaving Spider group, it is common for a number of tiny (6 mm) males to live around the edges of a females web, waiting for a mating opportunity. After mating, the female Golden Orb Weaving Spider wraps her single egg sac in a mass of golden silk, which is then hidden on foliage away from the web.
Orb Weaving spiders belong to the Family Araneidae. While reluctant to bite, they can cause mild local pain, numbness and swelling and, very occasionally, nausea and dizziness.
Adaptations
- Orb weavers can tolerate a variety of conditions which has allowed them to colonise a wide range of ecosystems in the Australian landscape
- Their large webs allow them to catch a variety of flying insect prey
Feeding relationships
- What I eat: flying insects (e.g. locusts, moths, cicadas, beetles)
- What eats me: wasps (Family Sphecidae), birds (e.g. butcher bird)
Interesting facts
The webs of orb weavers often host smaller kleptoparasitic spiders (e.g. Quicksilver Spider) which feed on the smaller insects that become trapped on the web. This helps the orb weaver to keep their web clear of debris.
Acknowledgement: Australian Museum