Orb Weaver

Although male and female are similar they can be distinguished by several characters. Generally, N. crucifera is the larger and more common of the two species. It has more drab coloration, with females reddish-brown to brown, and males lighter brown with the sides of the carapace nearly black. Northern females are occasionally white. On the other hand, female N. domiciliorum have a bright white or grayish yellow abdominal dorsum, with lateral wide, black stripes on each side. In both species, a double row of black slash marks occurs on the posterior half of the abdomen; sometimes these are obscured.