Gasteracantha westringi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gasteracantha westringi |
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| G. westringi in New Caledonia | |
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| Scientific illustration (Koch 1871) | |
| Scientific classification |
The Gasteracantha westringi is a type of spiny orb-weaver spider. It belongs to the Gasteracantha group of spiders. You can find this spider in places like Australasia, which includes New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. It has a special abdomen that looks like a wing. This abdomen also has red and black spines.
What it Looks Like
Female G. westringi spiders have a hard, shell-like body part called an abdomen. This abdomen is very wide, about three times wider than it is long. It measures about 13 millimeters across, not counting its spines. The abdomen flares upwards at each end, almost like a pair of wings.
These spiders have three pairs of spines on their abdomen.
- The front pair of spines is short, about 1 millimeter long. They are black and point slightly forward.
- The middle pair of spines is longer, about 4.5 millimeters. They are black at the bottom and mostly red, with black tips. These spines curve backward and slightly downward.
- The back pair of spines is about 2 millimeters long.
The female's abdomen also has small, sunken black marks called sigilla. Along the front edge of the top of the abdomen, there are 10 sigilla in a curved line. The four in the middle are small. The ones on the outside are larger and shaped like eggs. You can also see these larger outer sigilla on the underside of the spider.
Four more sigilla form a shape like a trapezoid in the middle of the top of the abdomen. Another row of sigilla follows the back edge. Sometimes, a pale yellow color surrounds these sigilla.
Scientists have not yet described the male of this spider species.
Where it Lives
The Gasteracantha westringi spider was first described by a scientist named Keyserling in 1864. At that time, he did not know exactly where the spider came from.
Later, in 1865 and 1871, other scientists described similar spiders. These spiders were found in New Caledonia and Australia. In 1889, a scientist named A.T. Urquhart described a spider from Norfolk Island. He noticed it was very similar to G. westringi.
Today, we know that G. westringi lives in the Australasia region. This includes places like New Caledonia and Norfolk Island.
In Popular Culture
The Gasteracantha westringi spider was featured on a postage stamp series in 2004. These stamps were from Norfolk Island. The stamp series mentioned that people on Norfolk Island call this spider the "red-horned spider." It is often seen on Norfolk Island and a nearby place called Phillip Island.
