Western spotted orbweaver
No two individuals of this orbweaver wear quite the same pattern, since the spots and lines across its back vary from spider to spider.
| Where | Wetlands and fields near water |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 9 to 18 mm, male 5 to 13 mm body length |
| When | May to November |
The western spotted orbweaver has a bulbous brown abdomen speckled with yellow and marked above with a black and white pattern that differs on almost every spider, while the underside is far more consistent and is what identifiers rely on. The legs are banded red or yellow with black near the feet.
It builds its orb web among shrubs and tall plants, usually one to two meters up, and does most of its web repair, feeding and mating in the early morning or after dark, retreating to the edge of the web during the heat of the day.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Brown, Yellow, Black
Active
Night
To people
This orbweaver does not bite people and is not dangerous; a web built in an inconvenient spot can simply be moved to nearby vegetation.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar in size, but has a more uniform, less variable dorsal pattern and different markings on the underside of the abdomen, while the western spotted orbweaver shows highly variable dorsal spotting with no two individuals alike.
Questions
Is the Western spotted orbweaver dangerous to people?
This orbweaver does not bite people and is not dangerous; a web built in an inconvenient spot can simply be moved to nearby vegetation.
When can you see the Western spotted orbweaver?
The Western spotted orbweaver can be seen from May to November, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by ben142, CC0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Orb-weaver spiders›Neoscona
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.