Golden Orb-Weaver spider

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

If I might insert an insect for identification in this section?  If not, just incorporate into the wildlife topic please Maggi?

I discovered this spider in the garden late this afternoon.  Not good light at all unfortunately, so some of the pics are FAR less than ideal, but I include them to give you and idea of the colours etc of the spider.  It is probably about 7 or 8cm from tip of legs to tip of legs (top to bottom in the pics), but I didn't quite get close enough to gauge perfectly.   She (I'm assuming a she, given the smaller spiders there?) is almost white in her markings, but there is a blue shade to them that comes out in the non-flash pics.  I've included both the flash and non-flash pics to try to give better details, although the flash bleaches her to white.  The colour combination of that bluey white with her red legs is striking, and I don't recall having seen one like her before.  When she sees movement she darts to another part of the web and starts a vigorous shaking, which I am assuming is to deter predators that might try to snack on her.  She moves lightning fast, and when vibrating you can't clearly see her.  Quite a good defence I would imagine, and certainly enough to startle something that was unprepared for it (i.e me the first time ).  I mention this here in case that behaviour is notable for identification purposes.

The web is huge, stretching well over a metre in it's main area, not including the tethers to trees and shrubs in some cases a metre or more away from that.  The web has a curved main plain, with planes running off it, so it is 3 dimensional, not flat like so many webs.  There is a trail of debris built into the top of the web, looking a bit like a dry watercourse.  It reminds me a little of the woven additions in a St Andrew's Cross wed, but this one has carefully included pieces of debris collected from the ground or trapped in the web etc.  You can see this line of debris in both the web pic, and the #2 pic, where she is sitting at the base of this line. The #2 pic also includes one of the smaller spiders in the top right corner of it.  I also noticed a number of smaller spiders on the web as well, of varying sizes too.  They were I think the offspring of the parent, yet this web has not been there that long.  The fact that there are multiple sized offspring surprises me as well, yet she definitely didn't seem to be bothered by them being there.  There is one in one of the pics, it also having the red that the parent (?) has.  I am wondering whether this is a colony spiders?  I don't know whether Orb Weavers work this way or not?

So now I am wondering what it is?  I can take more precise measurements of her and of the web if that is wanted?  Do I get concerned that these little blighters are going to take over the garden (with our wet spring the insects have been ridiculous, and the spiders have taken off in number dramatically..... one has to be careful walking around the garden or one ends up with a web in the face, and wondering whether there is now a spider on your head.    Not good for an arachnophobe!  

[Darren]

I always felt that your country was a far from ideal place for an arachnophobe in general Paul

We hear all sorts of stories about Australian spiders. I hear the 'harmless' ones are those which simply rip your limbs off instead of biting!?

[zephirine]

I'm no spider specialist, believe me, Paul... ...but your vibrating "friend" could belong to the Nephila family, considering its slenderness, the patches of hair on its legs and the size of the web...
Zeph

PS: have a look on this site, I think you'll find a copy of your friend...(picture of Nephila edulis juvenile female)
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/australian/nephila/Nephila.html

[David Nicholson]

....... and meanwhile our resident Forum bug expert is swanning around NZ North Island in a camper van

[Paul T]

Good God, Zephirine.... if mine is a juvenile how big is it going to end up!! 

I've tried your link, but at present it won't load for me.  I'll try again later and see whether it is just a temporary error or not.  I've googled it though, and I think you're spot on with the naming.  So she's a Golden Orb-Weaver.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephila_edulis

Interesting too that mine looks like the configuration of the Western Australian form shown in this website, rather than the Sydney form.  In fact the Western Australian form looks to be a dead ringer for mine.

Thanks for the name. 

[Lesley Cox]

Does that specific name mean she is edible?!!! Perhaps that's why she moves so fast.

[Paul T]

A couple more pics, taken yesterday in a slightly different light.

I've worked out that the larger "offspring" is actually most likely to be her mate.  The sites detail that the female spider is MUCH larger than the male, so I am guessing that the second spider with her in the second pic is actually a male spider.  There were other either smaller males or offspring from them as well.

Enjoy!!

[daveyp1970]

Paul i used to own about 70 adult tarantulas and to me you are a very lucky chap to have something as stunning as that in your garden.That little male next to her certainly knows his place.

[Paul T]

The problem with spiders here is that at certain times of year you have to walk along the paths in the garden with an arm held up in front of your face, because invariably there are spiders webs spun across the path.  Thankfully the Orb-Weaver chose a place between and arch and a wisteria nearby, so her web can remain.  If she had strung it across the path I would have had to try to move her to somewhere else.  Given the scale of her web I really hope she doesn't produce hundreds of offspring to colonise the garden..... the place would become unusable!! 

And I'm glad YOU had the 70 tarantulas, not me.    They're not too bad though, as they move slowly.  I don't mind as much when I don't think that the spider is going to run straight up my arm in an instant.  The Golden Orb-Weaver moves incredibly quickly.  I'm shuddering just thinking about it.  Thankfully as I said she is just off the main garden path, so she can remain there and I can admire her when I'm in the right mood. 

[Lesley Cox]

My God! The lady looks about a metre long!

[maggiepie]

Paul, your spiders are fabulous.
When I was still in Oz, I had a spider that spun a huge web each evening from the front porch to across the driveway.
She was told that the web would be broken in the mornings if it was still there.
I swear, this spider used to pack it up each morning before we needed to use the steps.
 

[zephirine]

I'm glad I found it for you, Paul! They are fascinating...as long as they are only photos! Lol
Is the web truly "glistening", or "golden"? Have you seen it shine somehow?

[Paul T]

Zephirine,

No, no shining.  Not entirely sure why the "Golden" association, to be honest.

Lesley,

You're right, without any size reference she does look extremely large.  I must admit I am rather glad she isn't a metre long.