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Comments & ID Thoughts
I happened upon this gorgeous spider with a web strung up on the branch of a big driftwood tree. I am almost positive that it is an orbweaver of some kind yet the most notable characteristic is the green coloring can only be seen in the dark! While trying to illuminate the spider for a picture, I noticed that it looked white to the eye and even photographed. The only way I was able to capture the green glow was to turn off my lights and my camera flash, then use my telephoto lens on night mode so it could pick it up. The moonlight drowned out the flow a bit but when I tried to shade it from the natural lighting it became agitated so I did the best I could. I have seen many enthusiasts saying there aren't any spiders that exhibit bioluminescense yet I can't come up with a better explanation. In short, this spider only appears green and glowing the LESS light you expose it to.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Mar 10, 2019
- Photographed: Mar 4, 2019
- Spider: Eustala
- Location: Jacksonville, Florida, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Low foliage (shrubs, herbs, garden, excluding flowers),Saltwater ocean, river, lake, stream
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes: Dorsal, Webs
Help identify this spider
May 1, 2018
May 1, 2018
Titusville, 
Hi, this is an Orb-weaver in the genus Eustala, possibly Eustala anastera (Humpbacked Orbweaver) as that species is occasionally green. Sorry, I don’t know anything about the glowing effect,
There are spiders that glow under sources of UV light. Many nocturnal moths also glow under UV lighting. I think this also has an effect that makes them less visible in the full spectrum of light and more difficult for predators to see. Some flowers also look different under UV light, which gives night pollinators an advantage. If you google ‘spiders uv light,’ there are a lot of interesting aspects to learn about. Some webs glow, some spiders glow more than others, UV light can be important for a female to see a male that wants to mate. I found… Read more »