Nephila plumipes
| Nephila plumipes | |
|---|---|
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| Female Nephila plumipes eating a ladybird, with male in attendance | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Nephila |
| Species: | N. plumipes |
| Binomial name | |
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Nephila plumipes (Latreille, 1804) |
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Nephila plumipes is a species of spider found in Australia, Indonesia and some Pacific Islands, which exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism. It is sometimes called the tiger spider due to its markings which look similar to a tiger. This species has historically been confused with Nephila clavipes, with the main distinguishing visual difference being significantly smaller black hair tufts on the legs. As with other spiders from the Nephila genus, they have a distinctive golden web.
Studies have shown that orb-weaving spiders grow bigger and can produce more eggs in highly urbanised places due to more food being available, warmer temperatures, fewer predators such as birds, and no pesticide chemicals. These spiders are commonly found in both urban and natural landscapes.
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Wikipedia