Enormous Bellied Orange Spider ..ID Please

iminei · #1 (**permalink**) 11-10-2010, 12:13 PM

found this in the greenhouse, thudded on to the staging as i cut back my carnies...can anyone id it for me???????

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ar...-10-10_005.jpg

this is the best i can do to bring the pic to you with my limited techno knowhow!
i think ive managed to put it in the Gallery, but who knows!

Meta menardi · #2 (**permalink**) 11-10-2010, 12:22 PM

That looks like Araneus diadematus, very common. I have only seen the picture on my small notepad screen, but it looks about righ to me.

iminei · #3 (**permalink**) 12-10-2010, 06:18 AM

no...there are no distinctive marks on its abdomen; i've looked up the one you said it might be and yes we have thousands of those in the garden at the mo, but this aint them....any other ideas?

Meta menardi · #4 (**permalink**) 12-10-2010, 04:11 PM

There is not much more to go on. Size alone means that it is an orb weaver, it could be A. quadratus but the angular shape to the shoulders still makes me think it is A. diadematus. They can be very variable in size and patterning. The female at this time of year is probably full of eggs (both species) and usually this makes patterning stand out, but you are dealing with a biological entity, just stand outside the local supermarket and look at the variety that strides, lurches, dances and shuffles out.

All human, but sizes shapes and colours are variable.

iminei · #5 (**permalink**) 13-10-2010, 09:26 AM

hahahahahaha,
sadly (or not in the spiders point of view) i released him/her to the jungle behind my house yesterday so cannot provide any more pics.....pregnancy seems possible as she could barely right herself when knocked off her feet (despite having 6 of them!) and we all know that feeling dont we girls??!!!

witchicle · #6 (**permalink**) 14-10-2010, 07:20 AM

This is my big spider it was identified as an orb weaver possibly Araneus Diadematus or Quadratus by Rob Atkinson.

I also found this caterpillar on the same day!

I think thats something of a coincidence, please go outside and find a pot of gold!!

iminei · #7 (**permalink**) 15-10-2010, 06:16 AM

Blimey.....were we separated at birth?????

and your spider is distinctly orange with very little in the way of markings too as far as i can see in your much much more professional pic.

caterpillar bang on...do you live in Wimborne/Blandford too?.....are you stalking me???

iminei · #8 (**permalink**) 15-10-2010, 06:17 AM

and how did you get those pics into the box??????

witchicle · #9 (**permalink**) 15-10-2010, 01:26 PM

Hi, I live in West Yorkshire and no I'm not stalking you!!

My photos were taken on my phone so its not me thats good its the phone, infact its a better camera than phone!

To get the photos into the box you click on the Gallery images icon with the green cross then it says upload images to WAB Gallery so you click that and you get a series of boxes to fill in. If you open your my pictures then highlight the photo you want then click browse it will fill it in the box then click upload and it will. Then you go to your post and click Library Images and it will show you the pictures you have uploaded so you click on the one you want and there it is. But it goes on the post as a link until you actually post it and then it turns into a photo and it took me ages to figure this out and how to tell you!!! I hope you can follow this.