Eriophora transmarina (Keyserling, 1865) Garden Orb Weaver)

One of many very similar garden orb weavers in Australia, currently being revised. Its range includes Australia, New Guinea and Samoa. It is a large spider with the very largest females up to 30mm, but most usually around 20-25mm. The males also can be quite large. The body is very variable in colour and patterning, being grey, brown, orange, red, black, with usually white patterns including prominent spots, stripes, and shields. The legs have very vivid dark red bare sections quite startling when revealed. The body, in its web and in its retreat, is usually tucked up. The female has a distinctive long scape like a spear projecting downward over the epigastric furrow. It builds its orb web each night and consumes it in the morning, then spends the day camouflaged in a retreat tucked up amongst leaves and twigs, usually at one of the corners of the web's extremeties. Can bite if trapped against skin, not normally aggressive unless provoked. This spider started out as Epeira transmarina, described by Keyserling in 1865, became Araneus for a while then Eriophora in 1980. Some Eriophora species are soon to become Backobourkia.