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Asian Spiny Orb-weaver Spider
Thelacantha brevispina
15.4559, 119.921
Field Notes
Description:
According to Wikipedia, Thelacantha brevispina is the only species in the Genus Thelacantha. Wiki also confirms its presence in the Philippines. I don't know how common (or rare) this spider is, throughout the Philippines, but I know that it is not very common in the immediate area in which I live. I base this on the fact that the spider shown here is only the second one I have seen. The first one was spotted, almost exactly 10 years ago on Jan., 21, 2014 - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1545915119
Habitat:
Behind our house, there is an outside kitchen, used for cooking the food of my dogs. This kitchen has a concrete slab roof, the top of which is used as a laundry drying area, with metal posts and "washing lines". I mention all of this because it is the habitat of the Thelacantha brevispina. Its web is horizontal, and it is moored on the metal posts and the washing lines. When the height of the concrete slab and the height of the washing lines are added together, this little spider has chosen to build its web about 18 ft. above ground level. The combination of washing lines, metal posts and a concrete slab does not seem to be a very "natural" habitat, but this is the place chosen by this beautiful spider and I can only assume that it knows what it is doing.
Notes:
There was not much to show in my pictures, as I was looking up at the spider, with an unseasonal, cloudy sky as the background. I could not get the web to show against the cloudy sky, but one point of interest is that the spider appears to have moulted recently and its exuvia seems destined to become part of a "trashline" web decoration. I will try to keep an eye on any developments. So, Pic #1. Shows the only view I could get of the spider, Pic #2. Includes the exuvia and Pic #3. is just to emphasise the featureless habitat. All three pictures are cropped from the same photo.
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