Cucumber Green

Okay the first one was easy (sort of). This is a Green Orb Weave Spider.

Green Orb Weave Spider“Sort of” because there are two common spiders that are visually identical, Araniella cucurbitina and Araniella opisthographa and it is most likely one of these.

It is possible to separate these two species with a macro photograph of the female’s underside but I find that kind of information useless as it wouldn’t help with the next one we find.

There are also a few other rarer species that look identical but you need to study their genitalia with a microscope for a positive identification.

So we can’t go to species. These are Green Orb Weave Spiders.

Green Orb Weave Spider Green Orb Weave SpiderAnother name is The Cucumber Green Orb Spider.

They are very small, I have just been reading 8 mm for the larger female but I think that includes the legs, they are smaller than that.

Green Orb Weave SpiderThey are predators (I think all spiders are predators but I will let you know if I find a vegetarian one), they spin an orb web between vegetation to catch insect prey.

An orb web is just a flat spiral web, the sort that you would normally associate with spiders.

I think that they are cute but then I am brave.

Green Orb Weave Spider

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