Ordgarius magnificus
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| Ordgarius magnificus (Rainbow, 1897) |
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The Magnificent spider (Ordgarius magnificus) is a bolas spider in the family Araneidae. It is endemic to forests along the Australian east coast.
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[edit] Description
Females are up to 14mm long and almost as wide; males reach only 2mm. 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.
[edit] Habits
They live in trees or tall shrubs, rarely less than 2m 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 catched with a stick globule that is flung at the prey.
The egg-sacs are up to 5cm long; one spider produces up to nine sacs per season, each with several hundred eggs.
