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Bird-dropping Spider

Celaenia excavata

Description:

This spider was about 12mm long with a knobbly, mostly white abdomen. The cephalothorax was equally knobbly but blotchy with white and black patterns. All legs were tucked close to the body, making the whole spider look like a black and white blob on the leaf much like a bird's dropping.

Habitat:

Spotted on a leaf of a low branch of a eucalyptus tree - ? species.

Notes:

As I was inspecting the spider, the whole blob heaved and shifted about just a few millimeters. It was obviously not comfortable and it did this again - quite creepy. Not once did it extend its legs but remained looking just like a blob of bird dropping. My previous spotting of a similar but smaller spider: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/169... This spider belongs to the Family Araneidae

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2 Comments

lori.tas
lori.tas 10 years ago

Well spotted.

MartinL
MartinL 10 years ago

This spider is unusual. It has furry legs and a structure on its back. It is too large to be a male. I wonder if it is an immature one.

Leuba Ridgway
Spotted by
Leuba Ridgway

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Spotted on May 12, 2013
Submitted on May 13, 2013

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