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Araneus nigropunctatus?

Fact Box Species: Araneus nigropunctatus? (identification uncertain; see notes below) Family: Araneidae Body length: female: 4 mm male: about 2 mm Habitat: This species may build a small orb web between dry twigs but the specimen shown here was actually hiding under loose bark on a eucalypt tree Toxicity: This species is probably too small to be a hazard to humans

Front view Its underside

The spider shown on this page almost certainly belongs to the genus Araneus, though this will probably change when an extensive revision of the Australian Araneus species is carried out. The species name is much less certain. Its dorsal appearance, including its shape and the lines on its upper abdomen, are very similar to those of a spider known as Araneus nigropunctatus as drawn and named by L. Koch in 1871. The spider in the above images is an adult female and its epigynum also resembles that drawn by Koch. Unfortunately, Araneus nigropunctatus is rarely seen so no recent and verified photos of it appear to be available in books or on the internet. The Atlas of Living Australia indicates that museum specimens of this species are labelled as having come from South Australia (up to the Queensland border) and Lord Howe Island so it is not impossible for this species to also be present in South-east Queensland, which is where the spider shown on this page was found.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Some small araneids.