Bum-eyed Spider

Araneus legonensis

Araneus are also known as 'Hairy Field Spiders'. They usually have cryptic colouration which helps them to blend in with their environment. Orb-web builders however will tend to remain in a retreat to the side of the web during the daytime.
Bum-eyed spider (seriously!) Another one on my most wanted list, I mean, who wouldn't want to see a bum-eyed spider??? Araneus legonensis,Bum-eyed Spider,Fall,Geotagged,South Africa,arachnids,araneidae,araneus,hairy field spiders,south africa,spiders

Appearance

3-6mm. Carapace is brown with a green tint. Abdomen varies from pale white dorsally to bottle green ventrally, very distinctly decorated with four dark spots on posterior edge of abdomen. legs similar in colour to carapace.

Naming

Grasshoff & Edmunds 1979

Behavior

Bum-eyed spiders make silk retreats in folded leaves. The orb web is made close by and a signal thread from the retreat leads to the hub of the web. When in danger the spider tilts its abdomen upwards, showing the row of dark spots.

Habitat

vegetation

Food

Insects

Defense

When in danger, raises its abdomen, showing the row of dark spots.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

The Field Guide to the Spiders of South Africa, Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman LAPA publishers 2014
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassArachnida
OrderAraneae
FamilyAraneidae
GenusAraneus
SpeciesAraneus legonensis
Photographed in
South Africa