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Arkys walckenaeri
About 8mm body length. Bright colouration of yellow, orange and red. These small spiders are ambush predators on vegetation, where they sit with their elongated 1st two pairs of legs outstretched ready to crab any critters that come within range. They remind of Crab Spiders, and used to be placed in the Araneidae together with Orbweavers, but since 2017, they have their own family - the Arkyidae.
Found on gum leaf in dry Eucalypt forest.
Some species are called Triangular Spiders for the shape of the abdomen.
Spotted on Jan 20, 2008
Submitted on Jul 1, 2018
13 Comments
Thank you for the comments and the nomination!
Congratulations on the nomination; it is a really pretty spider.
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Thank you, DrNamgyal and António!
Fantastic find Felix,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
Congrats Felix Fleck for the SOTD!
Thank you, Daniele!
Congratulations Felix, this stunning spider is our Spotting of the Day:
"If you don't like spiders, we hope this stunning Walckenaer's Studded Arkys (Arkys walckenaeri) will change your mind! Until recently part of the family Araneidae (Orb Weavers), spiders in the genus Arkys are now part of the new family Arkyidae. Arkyidae are mostly ambush hunters: they catch their prey without a web, often hiding under leaves or within flowers. Arkys walckenaeri has a rather elongated abdomen compared to other similar Arkys species, with a beautiful studded pattern.
For a catalogue of Australian Arkyids: https://buff.ly/2KEtXF9 "
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Thank you for the support, Robert and Maria!
Wow, an unusual and beautiful spider!
Wow! Fantastic shot. I've never seen anything like it. Great detail too.
Thanks, Jim :-)
Nice one, Felix!