Golden Orb-Web Spider; Fly
Nephila clavipes; Musca sp.
-21.5953, -46.8873
Field Notes
Description:
Golden Orb-Web Spider: The spider will bite only if held or pinched, and the bite itself will produce only localized pain with a slight redness, which quickly goes away. On the whole, the bite is much less severe than a bee string. Typically, the webs are made in open woods or edges of dense forest, usually attached to trees and low shrubs, although they may be in the tops of trees or between the wires of utility lines. Prey consists of a wide variety of small to medium-sized flying insects, including flies, bees, wasps, and small moths and butterflies
Habitat:
Warmer regions of the Americas, which can be found from Argentina to the United States, which also includes Brazil.
I found this specimen in a forest, in a mountainous region.
Notes:
I saw this spider and, suddenly, a fly caught in its web.
In the first photo, the spider uses its hind legs to help "hold" the fly in the web.
On the fourth photo, the spider is already draining the fly.
Comments (4)