The spider of the month is this common bark spider (Caerostris sexcuspidata) in the orb weaver family (Araneidae), taken by Daniel Lee Owen Rautenbach in Headlands, Zimbabwe. They are also called horned bark spiders, due to them often sporting one, two, three, or more “horns” on the abdomen, or sometimes a complex system of protrusions … Read more
The spider of the month March 2021 is this female jumping spider (Rhene konradi) in her retreat, photographed in Bloemfontein by Rudi Steenkamp (me). It was only when I viewed the photo on the computer that I noticed the “smile”. This is just how the setae around the clypeus in this specific specimen are arranged, … Read more
The spider of the month is this hedgehog spider (Pycnacantha sp.; most likely P. tribulus) photographed by Marique Kirwan in the Schurveberg mountains, Gauteng, South Africa. This spider received 41% of the votes. The spider was found perching on a low branch of a karee tree, with one strand of silk attached to a leaf … Read more