Stats

Lifespan: Up to 1 yr
Size: Small
Diet: Insectivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical forest
Range: The Americas
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

The spinybacked orbweaver is a small spider with a dramatically wide, hardened abdomen bearing six sharp spines that may deter bird predators. Found across the Americas, it spins large orb webs decorated with tufts of silk and displays striking coloration — typically white or yellow with black spots.

Life cycle

1.
egg sac
A silk-wrapped egg sac shelters a clutch of eggs until the young are ready to emerge.
2.
juvenile
A spiderling emerges from the egg sac already in miniature adult form and starts catching prey almost immediately.
3.
subadult
A near-adult arachnid molts through several instars, growing larger and developing mature markings.
4.
adult
Fully grown after its final molt.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Gasteracantha
Species: Gasteracantha cancriformis