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Bird-dropping Spider

Celaenia excavata

Photo by Leuba Ridgway
Published on Project Noah
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-37.8953, 145.3

Field Notes

Description:

This spider was about 12mm long with a knobbly, mostly white abdomen. The cephalothorax was equally knobbly but blotchy with white and black patterns. All legs were tucked close to the body, making the whole spider look like a black and white blob on the leaf much like a bird's dropping.

Habitat:

Spotted on a leaf of a low branch of a eucalyptus tree - ? species.

Notes:

As I was inspecting the spider, the whole blob heaved and shifted about just a few millimeters. It was obviously not comfortable and it did this again - quite creepy. Not once did it extend its legs but remained looking just like a blob of bird dropping.

My previous spotting of a similar but smaller spider:
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/16996094

This spider belongs to the Family Araneidae

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (2)

This spider is unusual. It has furry legs and a structure on its back. It is too large to be a male. I wonder if it is an immature one.

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