Golden Orb Weaver Web of SexWhilst She is Distracted Whilst She is Distracted Again
Golden Orb Weaver PreyGolden 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
Well as that old song goes…
Let’s talk about sex, baby… and the bad things that may be…1
you would think that lyric could have almost be written for the world of spiders, where if it was good, or if it was bad, the male could end up as dinner…
In the following photos, it did look like a risky manoeuvre by the male Golden Orb Weaver, being at the jaw end of the female Golden Orb Weaver. It was a slow, deliberate careful move (not sure if there were any pheromones being emitted).
— click image to view full screen
Sex Organ of the Female Golden Orb Weaver Spider
For those who did not know, the sex organ of the female Garden Orb Weaver Spider is on the ventral (underside) of the spider, near where the head and thorax join the abdomen (opisthosoma). The sex organ is known as the epigynum (female genital opening). At the bottom end of the abdomen (also on the ventral side) is the spinnerets (silk spinning organs).
In the following two photos, the small male was disturbed by my hand touching the web. The male was originaly on the epigynum (arrow 2) before I scared it off her. You can also see the spinnerets (arrow 1).
In the following series of photos of the same two spiders, the small male was at the end of the female’s abdomen (where the spinnerets are). Currently not sure what he was checking out.
In the following series of photos, the tiny male is strategically positioned on the underside of the female (with the food pantry line in between).
— click image to view full screen
Now we must mention the “sexual size dimorphism” among the male Golden Orb Weaver Spiders. Not all male Golden Orb Weavers are small. Check out our page on the Dimorphic Males and see the size differences of these males. So does bigger mean better… the jury may be out on this, but we do know the large dimorphic males would make for a better meal.
Footnote & References
- Let’s Talk About Sex, by Salt-N-Pepa
- The ungentle joy of spider sex, by Stephanie Pain, 28 October 2020, Knowable Magazine, https://knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2020/the-ungentle-joy-spider-sex
- Spider Growth and Reproduction, The Find-A-Spider Guide for the Spiders of Southern Queensland, http://www.findaspider.org.au/info/reproduction.htm
- Spider structure, Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/spider-structure/
Golden Orb Weaver Web of SexWhilst She is Distracted Whilst She is Distracted Again
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