More spider pictures

[mmcirvin]

The sun glint on the web really makes this one:



Seen from the back (the lighting wasn't great from that angle). The bone-like markings certainly give it extra awesomeness:



These big garden spiders are pretty common around here. It was hanging out on the edge of a gigantic spiral web that it had built between some bushes.

Comments

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I tried to figure out what species this spider is. Apparently narrowing it down that precisely is usually done by looking at their genitals with a microscope, but I think it's pretty definitely a member of the orb-weaver genus Araneus (http://www.volny.cz/alspiders/main_araneidae.html), probably Araneus diadematus (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Araneus_diadematus.html) or a closely related species.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

...And I probably shouldn't be calling it a "garden spider", since Googling that name mostly brings up information about spiders of the genus Argiope (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Argiope.html), which have a different body shape and like to rest with their legs paired in an X pattern; there's a very pretty black-and-yellow variety that I don't think we see around here.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Well, OK, this page (http://www.nwspiders.org/araneus.diadematus.html) refers to A. diadematus as a "European garden spider", though in fact they live in North America too. Based on those pictures I'd say I've pretty definitely got a female Araneus diadematus here, though it's a slightly different color variant.

Definitely

[acw.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, definitely a female Araneus diadematus. There is a lot of color variation, but we get ones that look just like this in Belmont just south of you.

I love those dark stepped trapezoids. Such elegant creatures, and their webs are awe-inspiring.

[jarai.livejournal.com]

Based on those pictures I'd say I've pretty definitely got a female Araneus diadematus here, though it's a slightly different color variant.

Yes, BUT WHAT IS HER NAME?!