Spider with orange cephalothorax

Bruce Williams · #1 (**permalink**) 07-01-2011, 10:01 PM

Northants garden, 28th June 2010.

Help with identification appreciated as always:

Bruce

RobAtkinson · #2 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 11:23 AM

Could it be araneus diadematus?

Jason Green · #3 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 11:34 AM

Afternoon Bruce,

I'll go for a Metellina sp.

Take care,

Jason

EDIT: In hindsight, I think Araneidae is more likely...

Bruce Williams · #4 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 12:23 PM

Thanks Rob and Jason. Yes I did wonder about an immature A. diadematus - the abdomen markings in particular looked familiar.

Bruce

Jason Green · #5 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 12:45 PM

Do you have any further images of it? The abdominal markings first had me considering Metellina, but I don't think the legs are right.

Bruce Williams · #6 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 12:53 PM

Jason - I do have a couple more images but they were taken from much the same viewpoint and really don't show anymore than the one I posted.

Bruce

RobAtkinson · #7 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Williams

Thanks Rob and Jason. Yes I did wonder about an immature A. diadematus - the abdomen markings in particular looked familiar.

Bruce

Well I'm still learning about spiders so I just went by the abdominal markings and the fact that Araneus Diadematus can be variable in colour.

Geoff F · #8 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 06:19 PM

This certainly looks like a juvenile which means that it is one for the real experts and even then a firm identification would be difficult.

As well as Araneus, Araniella is a possibility. Immature specimens of Araniella cucurbitina/opisthographa can be particularly orange in colour.

So I suspect that we are in the correct family area but it will be impossible to be certain.

Bruce Williams · #9 (**permalink**) 08-01-2011, 08:08 PM

Thanks Geoff.

For the sake of completeness I thought it might be worthwhile including a scale bar on the image:

Bruce

frits_b · #10 (**permalink**) 10-01-2011, 10:23 AM

Hi Bruce,

This looks like a very typical juvenile Areaneus diadematus to me.

Appearance-wise, it's sort of in the middle between the baby-stage, where they are completely yellow with a black section on the distal part of the abdomen, and the adult stage. You can see that the cross is being formed and the black section is turning brownish and extending towards the front part of the abdomen.

I don't think it can be anything else.