
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Oct 10, 2018
- Photographed: Oct 10, 2018
- Spider: Araneus diadematus (Cross Orb-weaver)
- Location: Brunswick , Maine, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: High foliage (includes trees and tree trunks),Ground layer (leaf litter, dirt, grass, etc)
- Found in web?: No
- Attributes: Dorsal
Hi, this might be a shamrock orbweaver, Araneus trifolium. They aren’t usually red, but red ones do occur. (Thank you Rick West for the photos)They consistently have black and white banded legs. This is an interesting photo, thank you for sharing your pics with us!
Going with Cross Orb-weaver (Araneus diadematus) for this one. Here’s a similarly shriviled Shamrock for comparison of variation on the abdominal pattern.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1598207/bgimage
Thanks! Dr. Ewing said basically, the cross marking is the most important clue to identifying Araneus diadematus over other markings and colors. I’m guessing that you go by that too. This spider appears to show that the marking is pretty deep into the abdomenal exoskeleton, like a tattoo is to skin— thus a basic developmental feature like the wavy lines on Araneus marmorous.
Some individuals just have a line.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/337871
When I’m still unsure when looking at the abdominal pattern I look at the legs, the banding is bolder on A. trifolium.
Thanks! I appreciate the advice.