seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
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@theoyoyoyo submitted: Found this cutie in my garden at Brasília, Brazil. I believe it's a shorthorn kitespider
The shorthorn kitespider is actually found in Africa! Your friend is a similar species, the spinybacked orbweaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis.
The spinybacked orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) is a small species of spider found throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean islands, and the southern part of North America. They can reside in a variety of habitats, but their main home is in woodlands and dense brush. They are mainly solitary, but will sometimes coexist with other colonial orbweaver spiders.
G. cancriformis is notable for its striking appearance. The head and thorax are small and , while the thorax is quite large and lined with six sharp spines. The coloration can vary throughout the spider's distribution; generally the head and thorax are black, while the abdomen can be white, black, orange, yellow, or even blue, and the spines can be red or black. Females tend to be between 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long, while males are much smaller at only 2 to 3 mm (0.1 in) long.
As an orbweaver, spinybacked orbweavers build large webs to catch their prey-- mainly small insects. Every evening, a female builds a new web and a male hangs by a single thread close by. The following morning, after consuming any insects she has caught, the female will either take down or eat the web so that a new one can be constructed the following evening. Depending on the size of her prey, she may either paralyze it with a mild venom or wrap it in webbing before consumption. There are few known predators of adult spinybacked orbweavers, due to their small size and prickly defense, but the eggs are known to be parasitized by wasps.
Spiny orbweavers only live for one year, and only mate once during that period. In the spring, males court females first by drumming on her web. If she does not become aggressive, he approaches and allows her to strap him down with silk. Following copulation, the female lays an egg sac with 100 to 260 eggs on the underside of a nearby leaf, and then dies. The male typically dies several days later; it is unknown whether he mates with other females during this period. Incubation takes 2-5 weeks, and the young mature quickly over the summer.
Conservation status: The IUCN has not evaluated the spinybacked orbweaver. However, the species has a large, widespread population, and is highly adaptable to living in urban areas, and so is generally considered stable.
Photos
Scott Nelson
Judy Gallagher
Kimberlie Sasan
Spinybacked Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)
Observed by jcruzmendoza, CC BY-NC
This is a...
critter
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By Sam Fraser-Smith from Brisbane, Australia - Gasteracantha cancriformis - Spiny backed orbweaver Uploaded by Amada44 CC BY 2.0
Spinybacked Orbweaver - Gasteracantha cancriformis
This post is on Gasteracantha cancriformis, which is a peculiar looking species of orb-weaver spider which is widely distributed across the American continents.
@hispaatra, @zick-the-fairy you guys need to know about this species, it is so freaking cute ! !
Description
Females measure about 5 to 9 millimetres and 10 to 13 millimetres wide. The six abdominal spine-like projections on the abdomen are characteristic for the species. The carapace, legs, and underside are black with white spots under the abdomen. Variations occur in the colour of the upperside of the abdomen; a white or yellow colour with both featuring black spots. A white upper side can have either red or black spines while a yellow upperside can only have black ones. Like many other spiders, males are much smaller, 2 to 3 millimetres 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 species of spider does not live very long. In fact, the lifespan lasts only until reproduction, which usually takes place in the spring following the winter when they hatched. Females die after producing an egg mass, and males die six days after a complete cycle of sperm induction to the female.
Distribution and habitat
The spinybacked orbweaver is native to North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America up to northern Argentina. It has been introduced elsewhere, including Hawaii. It prefers living around the edge of woodland and shrubby gardens.
Gasteracantha cancriformis is seen to coexist within and on the edges of the colonies of other colonial orb-weaver spiders, mainly Metepeira incrassata, which is known to form large colonies which often accommodate other species of orb-weavers.
Don't worry guys I'm back at it again holding random bugs
Spinybacked Orbweaver spider repairing its web
Inktober day 11: Spinybacked Orbweaver
