Australian Golden Orb WeaverFemale Male Dimorphic Males Juvenile to Mature Female Moult Prey Web of Sex Egg Sac Web
It is something special to see the spectacular looking female Australian Golden Orb Weaver (Trichonephila edulis), in her full splendour in her web. Most arachnophiles (people who like spiders) will admire the stately beauty of the female of the species.
In the mature female, the abdomen takes on a plump oval to round appearance.
The sheer beauty of the female Golden Orb Weaver spider can look slightly different across the Australia, and even within the same region and locality.
In the following photos are small juvenile to young female Australian Golden Orb Weaver Spiders. The next photos show a juvenile female approximately 5 to 7 mill in length. You can see how her legs are still almost translucent.
Whilst some small female Australian Golden Orb Weaver Spiders look like the adult female (just smaller), some juveniles and young females can appear slightly different in appearance, before maturing into the more familiar shape of the adult female Golden Orb Weaver (Trichonephila edulis). Some of the younger females will have an almost capsule shape body with a variable colour/pattern.
Footnote & References
- Many thanks to Matthew Connors for his input on the female Trichonephila edulis, member of Entomology Australia “Invertebratology”, Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/507004496955277/
Australian Golden Orb WeaverFemale Male Dimorphic Males Juvenile to Mature Female Moult Prey Web of Sex Egg Sac Web
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