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Underside Right way up. Orange Lungless Spider (Diploglena capensis) This spcies has only 2 eyes. They are fast moving nocturnal hunters. They hide in silken retreats under bark and leaf litter, also under rocks. Abdomen is grey and has short silky hair.
Lynx spider (Oxyopidae Peucetia) Between 10 - 23mm leap to catch their prey, they have well developed vision. They do not build webs. They can change colour slowly to blend with the vegetation.
Feather – legged Spider (Cyrtophora citricola) Has no venom, it quickly wraps its prey in silk and is covered with digestive enzymes. Can overpower much larger and more powerful insects than itself.
Banded – legged Nephila (Nephila senegalensis) Females abodomen can be 25 - 30 mm. The silk used in the web has a golden colour, hence Golden orb - web spiders.
Wall Spider (Selenopidae
Anyphops) Fast moving African Mask
Crab Spider (Thomisdae
Jumping Spider (Salticidae) They are small, less than 5mm and are interesting. They have large eyes as they hunt their prey, by pouncing on the victim. They also have a complicated semaphore signalling system with their front legs.
Jumping Spider (Salticidae) with a juvenile Kelp Fly (Fucellia capensis) as prey. About 10mm long.
Hairy Field Spider (Araneidae araneus) Only active at night, they weave an orb web. See the wonderful face on the abdomen in the pic on the left.
Garden Orb-weaver (Araneidae argiope) and a beautiful orb web with dew drops.
Crab Spider (Thomisidae) a pink form on a daisy with a monkey beetle prey, yellow form with a fly.
Bark Spider (Caerostris sexcuspidata) topside and underside, the legs are a blueish black on the underside with 2 interesting small white markings on the underside.
A Bark Spider when on a branch, is very difficult to see even when viewed from closeup. They blend into the the colour of the branch or twig.
Bark Spider (Caerostris sexcuspidata) a female, found in a night search. Top view.
Bark Spider (Caerostris sexcuspidata) a female, underside.
Dome–web Spider (Cyrtophora sp.) back and side views holding onto the egg case attached to the inside of the intricate web, photographed at Bokmakierie Park.
Dome–web Spider (Cyrtophora sp.) spiderlings in the web. There are sparkling rain drops on the web.
Funnel web Spider (Agelena australis) can see polarized light, and use it to navigate.
This Funnel web Spider (Agelena australis) was seen on 24/09/2004 on the Spring festival outing to the Zandvlei Nature Reserve. A light shower of rain provided the drops on the web.
This
Baboon Spider is in a glass jar for identification. Una Hartley
found him in the garden at Westlake Wetlands Lakeside on 20/08/2004 and
took it to Rondevlei Nature Reserve for identification. It was returned
to the place it was found. He measures about 75 mm across and about 100
mm long. Colour black velvet like body and legs with longer brown hairs
on the back of the abdomen. This is a much larger specimen than is
usually found locally.
A Spider Hunting Wasp (Tachypompilus ignitus) with an immobalised Baboon Spider. It is dragging the spider away to lay an egg on it so that the larvae can feed on the spider.
This Rain Spider (Palystes natalius) was making its nest. 2 leaves were formed and the nest laid on the leaves. She still had to cover the nest with leaves and spin the outer web, which took about 6 hours.
Rain or Lizard eating Spider (Palystes natalius) A female guarding her nest. Young spiderlings leaving the nest to begin their life cycle.
Threatening display to stay away from the nest. new 21/11/2009
Keeping a lookout. new 21/11/2009
Protecting the nest. new 21/11/2009
This Rain Spider (Palystes natalius) was making its nest on 03/02/2004 in the Nature Reserve.
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