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Comments & ID Thoughts
Backobourkia cf. brouni
Please tell me what it is. It’s been on my house’s outer wall for 3 days. Tell me the scientific name and common name and if it is lethal or not.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Mar 5, 2018
- Photographed: Mar 5, 2018
- Spider: Backobourkia brouni
- Sex:
- Location: Penshurst, Sydney, Australia
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes: Dorsal
I first discovered it when I was playing basketball and my friends freaked out
Hi, welcome to Spider ID. 🙂 This is an Orb-weaver (Araneidae). They’re beneficial and not considered to be of medical significance (everyone’s immune system is different though). If no one else chimes in with a more specific ID I’ll try to remember to take a closer look when I have more time, I’m not too familiar with Australian species.
‘Punny’ name. Thanks, I checked orb weaver before I uploaded, but it didn’t really look the same. What gender is it? I’m guessing female
I can’t really see the palps (pedipaps, leg-like appendages near the spider’s mouth that are enlarged on mature male spiders, and slender on immature spider’s of both genders and mature female spiders), but she does appear feminine regardless so I checked that off. It looks like your spider is Backobourkia brounii. There is a another possible similar looking species – Backobourkia heroine, but yours superficially looks more like B. brounii to me and appears to be the more common of the two in your area, tentatively placed.
Thanks bro. It’s moved out now, I suppose it got washed away by the rain. Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out.