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ANIMAL SPECIES:Golden Orb Weaving Spiders, Nephila sp.

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The Golden Orb Weaving Spiders build large, strong orb webs with a golden sheen.

Alternative Name/s

Golden Orb Weaver

Identification

Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are large spiders with silvery-grey to plum coloured bodies and brown-black, often yellow banded legs. The males are tiny and red-brown to brown in colour. The main difference between the common Sydney species, Nephila plumipes and N. edulis (which is commoner in inland regions) is the presence of a 'knob' on the front of the sternum (the heart shaped plate on the underside of the body between the legs) of N. plumipes.

Size range

2 cm - 4 cm (female), 5 mm (male)

Distribution

Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are found in dry open forest and woodlands, coastal sand dune shrubland and mangrove habitats, with Nephila edulis and N. plumipes being the two species found in the Sydney region.

In Sydney, the bushes and trees of the Royal Botanic Gardens are a good place to see them, as are the mangrove forests of Bicentennial Park and the Homebush Bay area of the city.

Habitat

Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are found in dry open forest and woodlands, coastal sand dune shrubland and mangrove habitats.

All orb weaving spiders make suspended, sticky, wheel-shaped orb webs. Webs are placed in openings between trees and shrubs where insects are likely to fly.

Behaviour and adaptations

Feeding and Diet

Golden orb weaving spiders prey items include flies, beetles, locusts, wood moths and cicadas. Sometimes their strong webs manage to trap small birds or bats, and the spider will wrap them and feed upon them.

Other behaviours and adaptations

The Golden Orb Weaving Spiders build large, semi-permanent orb webs. The strong silk has a golden sheen. These spiders remain in their webs day and night and gain some protection from bird attack by the presence of a 'barrier network' of threads on one or both sides of the orb web.

Like the St Andrew's Cross Spider, they will vibrate their webs to distract potential predators. Sometimes aggregations of Golden Orb Weavers are found, with a tangled network of overlapping webs. Their webs are often host to the small kleptoparasitic spiders of the genus Argyrodes (often the Quicksilver Spider, Argyrodes antipodeanus) which inhabit the larger spider's web and eat the smaller insects that become trapped on the web, thereby helping keep the web clear of debris.

Life cycle

In the Golden Orb Weaving Spider group, it is common for a number of tiny (6 mm) males to live around the edges of a female's web, waiting for a mating opportunity. After mating, the female Golden Orb Weaving Spider wraps her single egg sac in a mass of golden silk, which is then hidden on foliage away from the web, disguised within a curled leaf or sprig of twigs.

Predators, Parasites and Diseases

Predators of orb weavers include several bird species and wasps of the family Sphecidae. The wasps land on the web, lure the spider to the perimeter by imitating a struggling insect's vibrations, and then carry the spider away to be paralysed and stored as live food for their young.

Living with us

Danger to humans and first aid

Orb weavers are reluctant to bite. Symptoms are usually negligible or mild local pain, numbness and swelling. Occasionally nausea and dizziness can occur after a bite.

Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.

Classification

Genus:
Nephila
Family:
Nephilidae
Order:
Araneae
Class:
Arachnida
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?


Last Updated: 20 October 2011

13 comments

Louise Carter STAFF

Louise Carter
3.06 PM, 22 June 2011

@ldunn - its nice to see the large females still around! Usually they have started to die off by now.

lisa dunn

ldunn
1.06 PM, 21 June 2011

I live in Ballarat Victoria, and I found this one living down near our back fence yesterday, not a very good pic because I didn't want to get too close, but she does have the nice striped legs. I have noticed the web getting bigger for a couple of months, but had never seen who was living there, now I do.

Comment Attachment

Louise Carter STAFF

Louise Carter
11.06 AM, 01 June 2011

@cats0709darren -  not that we know of, have you observed this behaviour?

Darren Hannah

cats0709darren
5.05 PM, 30 May 2011

does the golden orb spider spit venom when thretened ????? from darren in victoria

Louise Carter STAFF

Louise Carter
2.05 PM, 12 May 2011

@dazmig - Its not unusual for Golden Orbs to be in cooler climates. They are found along the east coast from Vic to Qld, in teh ACT and other inland areas. They are also found in WA @dela - If the spider is an adult then it will not grow a leg back. But if the spider loses the leg when its a juvenile it can grow a leg when it molts. @lass2653 - Its not know exactly but the spiderlings here in Sydney appear in spring and they tend to die off in early winter (so approx 9months). However this can change depending on where they live, in tropical climates they may live longer and in cooler climates not as long. The males tend to die off once they have mated with the female.

Lesley Scott-Smith

lass2653
11.05 PM, 03 May 2011

I live in Marrar in the Riverina (NSW) and our garden hosts at least a dozen Golden Orb Weavers of various sizes. Their webs are so strong it is difficult to break them if you accidentally stray into one. One tiny female chose the standard lamp in our living room to begin her spinning.We only realised what she was when she began to grow bigger and a tiny reddish male appeared and took up residence in the web too. We finally moved her into the garden. I would love to know how long-lived they are.Can anyone help?

andrea cooper

jessie
10.04 PM, 26 April 2011

we have moved to property after loosing our house and belonings in the floods, we are living in a coach/motorhome under some very old peppercorn trees and have five huge goldens living in the trees with us and some have added our coach to there home links, i take great pleasure in showing them off to visitors, i get some very interesting reactions, cheers

janet elderfield

dela
2.04 PM, 26 April 2011

When Golden orb spiders lose legs do they grow back?I have a large one outside my window in Perth (WA) and she is now 6 legged but coping very well.

Darrel McMahon

dazmiq
3.04 PM, 21 April 2011

Here's another photo

Comment Attachment

Darrel McMahon

dazmiq
3.04 PM, 21 April 2011

I live in Ballarat, Victoria - much cooler than most other areas of Australia (or Victoria, for that matter) - and have a Golden Orb-Weaver in my front yard. Is it unusual that they appear in such a cool (some would say "cold") climate? I've noticed a distinct proliferation of insects and spiders since the recent rains.

Comment Attachment

Ondine Evans STAFF

Ondine Evans
10.05 AM, 12 May 2010

Most orb-weaving spiders might survive one winter at most, so it is not unusual that the larger, more mature ones disappear/die off over winter. Spiders can survive winters quite well, not sure where they all hide though! There are papers online that discuss overwintering in spiders and it seems they can survive subzero temperatures in some cases! @jendrake - I don't think the cockroach would have hurt particularly - nice juicy prize for a spider!

Jenny Drake

jendrake
10.04 AM, 18 April 2010

I am sadly watching a beautiful golden orb seemingly in her final hour. Her web was spun on my verandah several weeks ago. I put warning signs either side to prevent heads damaging her home.Yesterday she was missing,but I was pleased to find her inside my house with another web, not so magnificent in structure, but she seemed healthy enough. I always caught her a fly when I could, her reflexes impressive.Last night, thinking I was doing her a huge favour I bravely caught & threw her a cockroach. She wrapped him up & feasted. Her last it seems. Last year we had another Golden Orb which we fed flies for weeks & after a cockroach she succumbed as I was reminded by my housemate. Maybe cockroaches are harmful to them?

Rob Stobbie

Pickup37
8.04 PM, 06 April 2010

We have a a few of these in our garden at present (April). They have been around since last November or earlier. One that I see each day was huge up until about two weeks ago. Since then she has stopped maintaining her web and has shrunk by about 40%. The web is about 50-60% intact and what is there is poor quality. I am assuming that now the cold weather has arrived she has thrown in the towel and is going to starve to death. Is this correct???

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Golden Orb-weaving Spider

Golden Orb-weaving Spider View full size
Mike Gray © Australian Museum

Golden Orb Weaving Spider with cicada in web

Golden Orb Weaving Spider with cicada in web View full size
B Hulbert © B Hulbert

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