Araneus trifolium
(Shamrock Orb-weaver)

Picture ID 193050

Comments & ID Thoughts

It looks like Metellina segmentata but it would be nice to confirm. It was crossing a paved pathway when I saw it.

Submitted by:
rachelsamson
Submitted: Jan 5, 2024
Photographed: Oct 22, 2023
Spider: Araneus trifolium (Shamrock Orb-weaver)
Maturity:
Adult
Location: Royal Roads University, Victoria , British Columbia, Canada
Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
Found in web?: No
Attributes:

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Nod

January 5, 2024 4:57 pm

This isn’t Metellina segmentata. The legs and the head are wrong for it to be this spider..I think this is a marbled orb weaver. Araneus marmoreus. They have depressions on their abdomen that end up looking like white eyes occasionally….and the legs fit too. https://bugguide.net/node/view/1047320/bgimage…i think it is an odd shape because it is likely elderly and its abdomen has been deflated after laying eggs.

TangledWeb

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Reply to Nod

January 5, 2024 7:43 pm

Close, correct genus. This is Araneus trifolium, a Shamrock Orbweaver. https://bugguide.net/node/view/1434790/bgimage The markings are similar. I asked a professor who volunteered for this site how to tell them apart. He told me the legs are the big visual difference. A. trifolium is alternating bands of a light color (color varies) and a dark color. A. marmoreus has legs that are, proximal to distal: red, white, red, white, black – or a version of that. Always red to black. That’s been useful for me.