
Humped Golden Orb-weaving Spider - female (Nephila plumipes)
I could not get a shot of the dorsal side of the abdomen but this orb weaver's underside was striking in colour and pattern. It was a purple colour with thin pale crisscrossing lines. The abdomen was raised giving the body a humped look. Legs were thin with the front two pairs pointing downwards and had short setae giving them a furry look. The joints were yellow. The web appeared to be a complicated tangle with a golden sheen, suspended between the fence and plants, but there was a definite beautifully woven orb which was highlighted by the night's rain. In the morning I spotted a jagged weave of bright yellow silk running down the web, looking like a bolt of lightening. A significant feature about this spider is that it strings up the remains of its prey in the web. This looks like a good camouflage. The spider and the strings of tangled remains did look like debris caught-up in cob webs. This is a female and measured about 4 cms.

''Nephila plumipes'' is a species of spider found in Australia, Indonesia and some Pacific Islands, which exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism. It is sometimes called the tiger spider due to its markings which look similar to a tiger.