Gasteracantha sauteri
This spiny orb weaver waits head-down at the center of its web, whose supporting threads are studded with small white silk nodes.
| Where | Mountain forests across East Asia |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 8 to 10 mm body length; males are much smaller |
| When | January to December |
The hardened, wide abdomen carries three pairs of dark brown to reddish spines and a bright yellow patch between the first two spines marked with rows of dark spots; the underside is black with scattered small yellow marks, above a deep brown carapace.
It spins an orb web among forest trees at low to mid elevation across Taiwan and China, waiting head down at the hub, where the supporting threads are studded with small white silk nodes.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Yellow, Brown, Black
Active
Day and night
To people
Not dangerous to people; it stays at the center of its web and is easiest simply left undisturbed among the branches.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
This relative has a white to yellowish abdomen crossed by a dark cross-shaped pattern, rather than the bright yellow patch and rows of dark spots seen on Gasteracantha sauteri.
Questions
Is Gasteracantha sauteri dangerous to people?
Not dangerous to people; it stays at the center of its web and is easiest simply left undisturbed among the branches.
When can you see Gasteracantha sauteri?
Gasteracantha sauteri can be seen from January to December, by day and at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Orb-weaver spiders›Gasteracantha
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.