Can you help me identify this spider? I have pictures of the ventral and dorsal sides, but the pictures are pretty awful. It was found in South Texas, about 90 minutes inland from the Gulf of Mexico, about 1 hour north of the Mexico/U.S. border, near an agricultural field, about 50m from water (irrigation canal) in October. I'm just curious, really. I think it's a beautiful little beast. Scale is difficult in the photos, but I think its diameter was (very roughly) 1cm.
Links to pics:
http://www.bobbyfiend.com/cpg/albums/advntrs/sotex/051015_ne_of_home/spider3.jpg
http://www.bobbyfiend.com/cpg/albums/advntrs/sotex/051015_ne_of_home/spider6.jpg
2007-01-01 03:48:19 · 3 answers · asked by bobbyfiend 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
It looks to be a Spinybacked Orbweaver, or Gasteracantha Canuiformis if you want the scientific name. The spinybacked orbweaver is a distinctive orbweaver common in wooded areas. The unusual flattened, spiny body shape makes it look like a crab. Abdomen colors include white, yellow, orange or red.
Orbweavers are generally harmless but can be a nuisance when they build large webs in places inconvenient for humans.
2007-01-01 04:04:45 · answer #1 · answered by 00 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate spiders, but I love those little guys! We call them crab spiders because of their shell. They build gorgeous webs - huge, given their size! One built a web from our palm tree to another tree - a distance of at least 10 feet. The web was just gorgeous and he got lots of food :) We live in central Florida. Dunno what the actual name of it is, but everyone around here calls the crab spiders. It's one of 2 spiders I'll tolerate (the other being the beautiful bright green "garden spider").
2007-01-01 04:56:28 · answer #2 · answered by tagi_65 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I once had a Ranger Rick that had a picture of that type of spider in it. sadly, I cannot find it and I do not know what its species is.
All I know is that the first one is a view of the underside/molt of the spider, and that the one you photographed is a type of orb weaver.
2007-01-01 04:05:14 · answer #3 · answered by Beth 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋