Greetings fellow Foxies.
On the banksia Walk I recently noticed a group of weird egg sacs on a twig with a line of silk that led to a strange lump. Unfortunately the bit with the lump broke off during examination. As the lump remains solid despite the process I suspected that it was a zombie spider that had been killed by a fungus and took it home.
It was in fact, a very live Unconvincing Bird –dropping Spider Celaenia dubia.
This spider is a master of disguise that hides all day and hunts at night without a web.
At night it suspends itself on a web strand with its claws outstretched and emits a female moth pheromone. Male moths drawn to the scent are grabbed and consumed. This is a female spider guarding her egg sac
On the banksia Walk I recently noticed a group of weird egg sacs on a twig with a line of silk that led to a strange lump. Unfortunately the bit with the lump broke off during examination. As the lump remains solid despite the process I suspected that it was a zombie spider that had been killed by a fungus and took it home.
It was in fact, a very live Unconvincing Bird –dropping Spider Celaenia dubia.
This spider is a master of disguise that hides all day and hunts at night without a web.
At night it suspends itself on a web strand with its claws outstretched and emits a female moth pheromone. Male moths drawn to the scent are grabbed and consumed. This is a female spider guarding her egg sac
 Female guarding her eggs |  Brown ball-like egg |
As each egg sac contains up to 200 eggs there were over 1000 potential spiderlings present.
Check out the bent legs that enable the spider to keep them tightly against its body and the beak-like projection on the front of its carapace (top of front half) containing the slightly raised central four eyes (typical of the Orb weaver family in which it belongs) that enables it to see out when hunched up. They are no danger to humans.
Check out the bent legs that enable the spider to keep them tightly against its body and the beak-like projection on the front of its carapace (top of front half) containing the slightly raised central four eyes (typical of the Orb weaver family in which it belongs) that enables it to see out when hunched up. They are no danger to humans.
 Long front legs for grabbing moths |  Lumpy mottled abdomen |  Legs adapted for folding up camouflage |  |
