Bird-dropping Spider - Celaenia excavata
This female lives in our garden and does not move away at all from her egg sack.
https://bwvp.ecolinc.vic.edu.au/fieldguide/fauna/bird-dropping-spider#details Feeds at night, using mimicry to capture its prey. It hangs from the edge of a leaf or twig on a short silk thread, with its forelegs stretched out. It releases a chemical scent (pheromone) that mimics the scent released by female moths to attract their mates. If male moths attracted by the spider's mimicking scent flutter close enough they are grabbed by the spider's strong front legs. The egg sacs are marbled brown coloured balls, about 12-14 mm wide, each holding more than 200 eggs. Up to 13 sacs are joined together in a group.
The bird dropping spider derives its name from mimicking bird droppings to avoid predators, mainly birds. However, there are other species of spider that resemble bird droppings, for example species of "Mastophora".
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