Gasteracantha cancriformis
(Spiny-backed Orb-weaver)

Comments & ID Thoughts

I was doing backyard work when I came across this spider. Initially, I thought it was just another kind of bug that had been caught in a spider's web, but when I cam closer I noticed it WAS a spider. It has little spikes or horns coming out of its back.

• Submitted by: 
  
  xavierm
• Submitted: Feb 28, 2018
• Photographed: Feb 28, 2018
• Spider: Gasteracantha cancriformis (Spiny-backed Orb-weaver)
• Sex: 
  
  Female,
• Location: Sabana Grande, Pese, Herrera, Panama
• Spotted Outdoors: Low foliage (shrubs, herbs, garden, excluding flowers)
• Found in web?: Yes
• Attributes: Dorsal