Nephila plumipes

Other Names: Golden Orb-Weaving Spider

Size: Male 5 mm, female 35 mm

Family: Nephilinae (Golden Orb-weavers), 3 genera in Australia

Danger: I knew someone who said they were bitten by one of these and it was extremely painful, but they didn't get sick or have any medical problems from it. Whyte and Anderson say that Eastern Golden Orb-Weavers "are timid and successfully been demonstrated at public events to show even large spiders can be harmless if handled gently.

References: Whyte and Anderson.

About the Eastern Golden Orb-Weaving Spider

The genus Nephila makes web which has very strong thick yellow-golden looking strands in it. It has even been woven into garments.

Note that dead spiders usually fade in colour, so nearly all the spiders will look blacker or darker in colour in real life than they do in the photos of dead spiders from the museum.

Photo taken at Australian Museum, Sydney. Higher Resolution 1785 x 2362.

Photo taken at Australian Museum, Sydney. Higher Resolution 3372 x 1916.

Photo taken at Australian Museum, Sydney. Higher Resolution 1156 x 980.

See Also

Australian Mammals
Australian Birds
Australian Reptiles
Australian Frogs
Australian Fish
Australian Wild Plant Foods

Return to Australian Spiders