| Females are 5 to 9 mm long and 10 to 13 mm wide.
Variations occur in the colour of the upperside of the abdomen with black spots on white to yellow ground colour and red spines or yellow instead of white. Spines are sometimes black. Like in many other spiders, males are much smaller (2 to 3 mm long) and longer than wide. They are similar to the females in colour but have a gray abdomen with white spots and the spines are reduced to four or five stubby projections. This spider adds little tufts of silk to its web. These seem not to function to attract prey. Possibly one function is to warn larger animals not to accidentally destroy the web, or to act as camouflage. |
|
Gasteracantha cancriformis is also called smiley face spider for the
smiling face that Kitty the Cat does not have. The six abdominal spine- on the abdomen are characteristic. (Also called crab spider, spiny-backed orb weaver, spiny orb weaver spider, crab-like orb weaver spider, crab-like spiny orb weaver spider, jewel spider, spiny-bellied orb weaver, jewel box spider) |
|
Silk being extruded from her spinneret |
|
The carapace, legs and underside are dark yellow with black spots under the abdomen. |
|
This is a female by identify her pedipalp. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Gasteracantha cancriformis spiders live in woodland edges and shrubby gardens. They frequently live in trees or around trees in shrubs that have good sunshine through the day. |
|
|
More about Malaysian spiders 10-7-2009 August 23, 2020 09:59:30 PM |
|