Asian spinybacked orbweaver
The Asian spinybacked orbweaver takes its name from its unusually short abdominal spines, and most individuals carry two large white spots on an otherwise mottled abdomen.
| Where | Open forest and tree edges |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 6 to 10 mm, male 3 to 5 mm body length |
| When | January to December |
Females have a hard abdomen armed with six short, blunt spines and a mottled pattern of black, brown and white, usually including two large white spots on the upper surface. Males are unspined, plainer and only 3 to 5 mm long, much smaller than the 6 to 10 mm females.
It builds a vertical web strung between trees in open, sunny spots, sitting at the centre to wait for flying insects, and is found from India and Taiwan across to Japan, Australia and Madagascar.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Black, White, Brown
Active
Day and night
To people
This spider is not known to bite people, and its short spines serve only to deter birds and other predators.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar spiny, shell-like abdomen, but its spines are longer and its pattern usually forms a Y shaped black mark rather than the two isolated white spots of the Asian spinybacked orbweaver.
Questions
Is the Asian spinybacked orbweaver dangerous to people?
This spider is not known to bite people, and its short spines serve only to deter birds and other predators.
When can you see the Asian spinybacked orbweaver?
The Asian spinybacked orbweaver can be seen from January to December, by day and at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Orb-weaver spiders›Thelacantha
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.