Spinybacked Orbweaver
(Gasteracantha cancriformis), League City, TX
Thanks
to M.T. for these
photos. They were taken at M.T.'s home while
cleaning up after hurricane Ike. Spiders are among the first organisms
seen after a hurricane. The spinybacked orbweaver is in the family Araneidae
(the orb weavers), which is represented by 31 genera and 161 species in
North America. Its generic name
Gasteracantha (Latin, "thorny-stomached", see
Ubick et al, [2005], pg. 295-6; so named by Pierre
Latrielle [1762-1833] in 1831, and confirmed in 1834 by Sundervall).
This, along with certain other spiders, has an armored opisthosoma, with
a hard dorsal covering that is armed with spiny projections. By
contrast, most spiders have relatively soft abdomens and heavily armored
prosomas. This species departs the norm further by positioning its
prosoma beneath the horny shell of its opisthosoma, which affords even
more protection from predators. Its specific name, cancriformis,
means "crab-like." The genus Gasteracantha has 69+
species worldwide, but in North America is represented by this single species. G.
cancriformis is a New World spider found in the southern U.S.,
Central America, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas. Within its range it is
found in yards, the edges of forests, and often high in trees. When one
is found, others are likely to be observed nearby.
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TERMITE ENCOUNTERS *
SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE
BITE FIRST AID *
SNAKE EXCLUSION *
SPIDER
ENCOUNTERS *
SPIDER
BITE FIRST AID *
SPIDER
EXTERMINATION
*
PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS *
PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID *
PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION
*
Assembled & Edited by
Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments?
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