Silver Marsh Spider

A brightly coloured spider which looks like a small or young member of the Nephilinae (golden orb weaver). The Leucauge are a genus in the Tetragnathidea family (Long Jawed Orb Weavers). Because of a vague description and the loss of an only specimen in 1832, the genus became ill defined and acted as a waste basket containing some 300 loosley related species. After reaserch in 2010, the genus of Leucauge was revised. These spiders are easily identified now with their body shape, and silver, black and yello markings of females. They also have two rows of slender and long hairs on the femurs of the forth leg. What made this spider interesting to shoot was the fact that the web, as in most cases, was slanted instead of vertical and the spider was in the middle with its underside facing upward.