Can anyone identify this spider?

[skeptic_SA]

Did you hear the one about the guy who found a spider in his cars fuel flap?

 

[Agent_Smith]

Pretty sure we have a brown widow living outside by our back door.

She disappears off of her web in the mornings and reappears before the sun goes down.

She is out of the way of the myself, the GF and our dogs so we leave her be.

Working mom, just trying to support her 500 kids...

 

[Agent_Smith]

Did you hear the one about the guy who found a spider in his cars fuel flap?

Darwin nominee

 

[LazyLion]

 

[Indigogirl]

spidy

Another Rainspider

 

[CamiKaze]

What is this?

 

[Progenix Oj101]

Satan.

 

[biometrics]

What is this?

View attachment 339632

It's a web, right? I've interacted with these fukkers in Silvermine, Cape Town.

 

[Nefertiti]

What is this?

View attachment 339632

I suspect its an orb spider of some sorts, would love to know the species. Its got very nice markings.

 

[scienide]

Yup orb spider

 

[Magnum]

Eeeeek!

 

[ponder]

What is this?

The face of evil.

 

[biometrics]

Did it shake the web when you came closer?

 

[CamiKaze]

Did it shake the web when you came closer?

Yip.

 

[biometrics]

Yip.

I encountered them on a hill in Silvermine, Cape Town. It was in the hiking path, attached to the bushes. I tried to backtrack and suddenly realised I was surrounded with half a dozen of them. As a phobic it was not a fun moment. I never did get that Geocache.

If it didn't do it's shake trick I would have walked into it face first.

 

[Indigogirl]

I suspect its an orb spider of some sorts, would love to know the species. Its got very nice markings.

Argiope australis - common orbweb spider

 

[Nefertiti]

Argiope australis - common orbweb spider

thats what I thought too, but the markings on the back based on google search images varied quite a bit, so wasnt sure.

 

[Indigogirl]

thats what I thought too, but the markings on the back based on google search images varied quite a bit, so wasnt sure.

Two of the better local sources are:
Biodiversity explorer and the southern African section of iSpot

 

[Nefertiti]

Two of the better local sources are:
Biodiversity explorer and the southern African section of iSpot

wow, thank you for these links goes exploring

 

[Indigogirl]

wow, thank you for these links goes exploring

If you like taking photographs and want things you photograph to be identified, then iSpot is a great resource. All you need are reasonable photos of the plant, animal or other organism - and a location that can place it on a map.

Here are some tips to using iSpot: starting iSpot

If you join - set your default community to southern Africa - it helps greatly when you are posting observations.

If you do join - have fun - it is a great community of nature-lovers - and trolls are banned entirely (it's bliss).