Australian Golden Orbweaver

Trichonephila edulis

"Trichonephila edulis" is a species of large spider of the family Araneidae, formerly placed in the genus "Nephila". It is referred to the common name Australian golden orb weaver. It is found in Australia, in both tropical and temperate regions, and in parts of New Guinea and New Caledonia.
Pacific golden orb weaver Possibly gravid, as others of the same species I've seen have had much slimmer abdomens. Female 35 mm body length. Araneae,Australia,Australian Golden Orbweaver,Fall,Geotagged,Nephilidae,Trichonephila edulis,arachnid,arachnology,arthropod,autumn,fauna,invertebrate,macro,new south wales,pacific golden orb weaver

Appearance

It has a large body size variability, females can reach a body length of up to 40 millimetres, males about 7 mm. The cephalothorax is black with a white pattern on the back, and a yellow underside; the abdomen is grey to brown.
Nephila edulis female Spinning their astonishing and beautiful webs of silk that shimmer like gold, here is one of our Golden Orb Weaver spiders, Nephila edulis. Their webs are up to a metre in diameter. These spiders exhibit sexual dimorphism, this being a much larger female with body length of 30 mm. Araneae,Australia,Australian golden orbweaver,Fall,Geotagged,Macro,Nephilidae,Spider,Trichonephila edulis,arachnid,arthropod,autumn,golden orb weaver,invertebrate,new south wales

Naming

The species was first collected and named by Jacques Labillardiere, in Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse, becoming the second Australian spider to be described by a European naturalist. The first was "Gasteracantha fornicata".

The species name "edulis" means "edible" in Latin. Labillardiere wrote: "Les habitans de la Nouvelle-Calédonie appellent "nougui" cette espèce d'araignée, que je désigne sous le nom d' aranea edulis."

Several related spiders are considered a delicacy in New Guinea, "plucked by the legs from their webs and lightly roasted over an open fire".
Australian Golden Orbweaver, Trichonephila edulis, family Araneidae w/prey Australia,Fall,Geotagged,Trichonephila edulis

Reproduction

The web is about 1 metre in diameter and protected on one or both sides by a strong "barrier" web. "T. edulis" breeds from February to May, and produces an average of 380 eggs.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassArachnida
OrderAraneae
FamilyAraneidae
GenusTrichonephila
SpeciesT. edulis
Photographed in
Australia