 The Garden Orb-weaving Spider (Eriphora transmarine) is a very large
spider. The female’s abdomen is often up to 3 cm across. The males are much
smaller. Garden Orb Weavers are hairy, with faint spots and stripes on their
abdomens, and they have red legs. Their underbelly is patterned with grey and
pale yellow stripes.Orb weavers make extremely big round webs, up to a metre across, in gaps between
trees or shrubs. They make their webs at dusk, and by morning they are gone, as
the spiders for some reason take them down. The webs are strong enough to catch
those big Christmas Beetles that are so often around street lights and houses.
Luckily for humans, these spiders are reluctant to bite, and if they do, their
poison is usually not fatal. Although they are common throughout Australia,
there are usually more “out and about” in summer.
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