We have found this wonderful Golden Orb Spider in our garden and we hope it will stay.
Nephila pilipes fenestrate (Black-legged golden orb spider) has a creamy abdomen with a blueish marbling towards the rear and has tufts of hair on the first, second and fourth legs. It is widely distributed throughout South Africa, but absent from the drier western parts. Nephila senegalensis annulata has black and yellow abdominal markings with yellow bands on its legs. It has the widest distribution throughout South Africa. Nephila inaurata madagascariensis is more or less black, silver and reddish-brown with red legs, and may be found in northern KwaZulu/ Natal. Nephilengys cruentata spins a characteristic white web with a funnel-like retreat and is distributed throughout the eastern coastal regions. It is generally blacker than Nephila and has a rounder, less cylindrical, abdomen with an orange/ red breastplate.
They are strictly web bound and find walking on the ground cumbersome.
These large, shy but beautiful spiders may look formidable but are not aggressive, and even those who walk into their webs are unlikely to be bitten and although their bite is painful, it is not of great medical importance.
