Golden Orb Weaver PreyBee Butterfly Dragonfly Fly Gecko Lizard Tail Shield Bug

Australian Golden Orb WeaverFemale Male Dimorphic Males Juvenile to Mature Female Moult Prey Web of Sex Egg Sac Web

This particular morning, we saw this gecko caught in the Golden Orb Weaver’s web. On closer look, it had previously lost its tail, but this time it was not so lucky. Some of the toes look like they had already been eaten.

Gecko caught in Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Trichonephila edulis) web, Alice Springs NT
Gecko caught in Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Trichonephila edulis) web, Alice Springs NT
Gecko caught in Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Trichonephila edulis) web, Alice Springs NT
Gecko caught in Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Trichonephila edulis) web, Alice Springs NT
Gecko caught in Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Trichonephila edulis) web, Alice Springs NT
Gecko caught in Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Trichonephila edulis) web, Alice Springs NT

Footnote & References

  1. Many thanks to Daniel Heald, Dane Jensen, Jessica Herder for help with help with identifying the limb as a lizard / gecko tail, member of BeeEntomology Australia “Invertebratology”, Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/507004496955277/
  2. How do lizards drop their tails?, 11 May 2017, by Dr Mark Hutchinson, senior researcher, South Australian Museum, Australian Geographic, https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2017/05/how-do-lizards-drop-their-tails/
  3. Turner, Grant. (2018). PREDATION OF AN ASIAN HOUSE GECKO HEMIDACTYLUS FRENATUS BY A ST ANDREW’S CROSS SPIDER ARGIOPE PICTA (ARANEIDAE). 56. 18-23. An instance of a female St Andrew’s Cross Spider Argiope picta consuming a juvenile Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus is described. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-St-Andrews-Cross-Spider-Argiope-picta-consuming-a-juvenile-Asian-House-Gecko_fig1_326649114

Golden Orb Weaver PreyBee Butterfly Dragonfly Fly Gecko Lizard Tail Shield Bug

Australian Golden Orb WeaverFemale Male Dimorphic Males Juvenile to Mature Female Moult Prey Golden Orb and the Bee Golden Orb and the Butterfly Golden Orb and the Dragonfly Golden Orb and the Fly Golden Orb and the Gecko Golden Orb and the Lizard Tail Golden Orb and the Shield Bug Web of Sex Whilst She is Distracted Whilst She is Distracted Again Egg Sac Web

SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia Araneidae — Orb Weavers Arkys Australian Huntsman Spider Barking Spider Black House Spider Carepalxis sp Celaenia sp Crab Spiders Deinopidae — Net-casting Spiders Dolomedes sp Dolophones sp Flower Spiders Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus volans Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider