Ordgarius magnificus
Ordgarius magnificus, the magnificent spider, is a bolas spider in the family Araneidae.[1] It is endemic to forests along the Australian east coast.
| Ordgarius magnificus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Ordgarius |
| Species: | O. magnificus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ordgarius magnificus (Rainbow, 1897) | |
 | |
Description
Females are up to 14 mm long and almost as wide; males reach only 2 mm. Females are creamy-white with a pattern of pink and yellow spots on the abdomen, and a crown of white and reddish tubercles on the head.
Habits
They live in trees or tall shrubs, rarely less than 2 m above the ground. The easiest way to find them is to search for clusters of large, brown egg-sacs suspended among foliage; the spider will be found nearby, at day sheltering in a retreat made from rolled leaves and silk.
Like all bolas spiders, the female attracts male moths with an airborne pheromone. Once a moth approaches, the spider senses it coming due to vibration sensitive hairs on its outstretched legs. It is then caught with a sticky globule that is swung at the prey.
The egg-sacs are up to 5 cm long; one spider produces up to nine sacs per season, each with several hundred eggs.
References
- "Ordgarius magnificus". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 16 August 2017.