Spiny Orb-Weaver (Gasteracantha)

The spiny-orb weaver belongs to the genus of orb-weaving spiders and has received its name because of the spiny texture visible on the abdomen. Besides different parts of Asia, species of this genus is also seen in the continents of America, Africa, and Australia.

Scientific Classification

• Family: Araneidae
• Genus: Gasteracantha

List of Spiders Belonging to the Genus

G. aciculata	G. clavatrix	G. diardi
G. acutispina	G. clavigera	G. doriae
G. audouini	G. crucigera	G. falcicornis
G. aureola	G. curvispina	G. fasciata
G. beccarii	G. curvistyla	G. flava
G. biloba	G. cuspidata	G. fornicata
G. cancriformis	G. dalyi	G. frontata
G. clarki	G. diadesmia	G. gambeyi
G. geminata	G. hasselti	G. hecata
G. interrupta	G. irradiata	G. janopol
G. kuhli	G. lepelletieri	G. lunata
G. martensi	G. mediofusca	G. mengei
G. metallica	G. milvoides	G. notata
G. panisicca	G. parangdiadesmia	G. pentagona
G. picta	G. quadrispinosa	G. recurva
G. regalis	G. remifera	G. rhomboidea
G. rubrospinis	G. rufithorax	G. sacerdotalis
G. sanguinea	G. sanguinolenta	G. sapperi
G. sauteri	G. scintillans	G. signifera
G. simoni	G. sororna	G. sturi
G. subaequispina	G. taeniata	G. theisi
G. thomasinsulae	G. thorelli	G. tondanae
G. transversa	G. unguifera	G. versicolor
G. westringi

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: The females have a length and width of 5-9 mm and 10-13mm respectively. The males are smaller in size, being 2-3mm in length and a little more in terms of width.

Color: They are bright in color, having a yellow, white or orange abdomen with markings of red. The spiny projections as mentioned below are red or orange, while that of the males are of a darker shade.

Other Characteristic Features: They have six spiny projections protruding at the backside of the abdomen. The large spiny projections are mainly present in the female spiders of this genus, while for the males they look like small humps, being five to six in number.

Eggs

The egg sac has about 100 to 260 eggs which hatch in 11 to 13 days. When laid on a silken sheet they are protected with a white or yellow spongy, tangled, loose mass.

Spiderlings

They remain in the silken case between two and five weeks and become dark in color on acquiring maturity.

The Web

They are known to build large-sized circular webs like most other orb-weavers for capturing prey.

Are the Spiny Orb-Weaver Spiders Poisonous and Do They Bite

These spiders are not aggressive and will bite only if provoked. However, their attack is non-poisonous, causing no serious harm to mankind.

Quick Facts

Other Names	Spiny-backed orb-weavers , star spider
Distribution	Parts of Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, China, India, Sri Lanka); Africa, Australia and United States
Habitat	Woodlands, shrubby gardens, as well as nurseries, and citrus groves
Diet	Moths, flies, mosquitoes, and beetles

Did You Know

• Swedish zoologist, Carl Jakob Sundevall was the first to have described this species in the year 1833.
• Though their abdomen resembles a crab shell because of the spikes present in the abdomen, one should not confuse them with crab spiders.

Image Credits: I.redd.it, Upload.wikimedia.org, Barbaracasey.com