I was out walking yesterday morning when I saw several very large spiders sitting on webs. I had my camera with me, so I shot a bunch of pictures, and got a couple of really nice ones. I think I've managed to identify the species for a couple of the spiders, but there's one that I'm not quite sure of.
I'm pretty sure that three of the spiders are golden orb spiders (Nephila clavipes). The body shape is right, the markings are right, the site (League City, TX) is within the known range of the species, the habitat (marshy scrub along the bank of Clear Creek) is right, and the behavior (head down in the web) matches the descriptions I've read. The only thing that doesn't match is the size. According to the descriptions in the field guides I've looked at, the females typically have a body length of about 1". I was able to get a tape measure near enough the smallest of the three to get an estimate, and that one looked to be slightly over 2". The largest of the three was also the most distant - about 30' from my best vantage point - and it was hard to get a good estimate, but it looked to be at least 3".
The fourth spider looks a great deal like the other three, but there are just enough differences to make me wonder if it's the same species. There are some slight differences in the markings, and there seemed to be some differences in the web as well, although part of that might well have been due to the web being located in an area more easily disturbed by humans. The other spider was also a bit smaller than the others, but at a bit under 1.5" it would still be on the large side for N. clavipes.
Of course, I'm not a spider expert, so it's also possible that I've managed to misidentify every single one of these spiders. The best of the pictures are below the fold. I'm emailing the link to a couple of folks who might be able to help check my tentative IDs. The comments are, of course, open as always.
Here are two pictures of two of the spiders that I'm pretty sure is N. clavipes. You can click on the picture for a larger view:
This one was about 20 feet away. The picture was taken through a 300mm telephoto lens.
This one was a bit farther. I'd guess the distance at about 30 feet. This shot was also taken through the 300mm telephoto lens.
Now, here are a few shots of the spider that I'm less sure about:
1/125 sec exposure through a 100mm macro lens, taken from about 3 feet away from the spider. In this shot, the spider was at rest. The next three shots were taken while the spider was rebuilding a portion of her web:
I used the 300mm lens for the shots of the spider while it was working on the web. The spider was large enough that it looked like the 100mm lens might not have quite enough depth of field, so increasing the distance between me and the spider so that I could use the larger lens seemed like a reasonable idea. The fact that the thing was big enough to conjure images of Shelob did not, of course, play any role in my decision to slowly back away.
I definitely wouldn't want to see one of these spiders when I wake up, but they are fascinating to watch.
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We've got these in a retention pond in near northwest Houston. I grew up calling them "banana spiders" and Wikipedia agrees that banana spiders are usually Nephila. I haven't seen many this year or last because of all the rain. Now that we are having something remotly resembling a cool dry wind at night, they're all over the place. And yes, their silk is scary strong and sticky. Luckily their webs are easy for us humans to spot.
Two years back we had several orb spiders on the place. One was on the front porch. I used to catch grasshoppers and feed them to her. At first she would run away and I just threw them at the web. Not too good as larger ones would go through the web. As time went on she habituated some and I could put the grasshoppers in the web near her. There weren't any orb spiders around last year. This year there is one on the back porch; but grasshoppers are not so common, so she has had to fend for herself.
Nice spider pics. Allow me to suggest some help with identification: www.whatsthatbug.com
Best random bug picture identification web site I know of.
Yep, this is the time of year for those giant spiders. They tend to weave webs above trails in the woods, or between your live oak trees in your front yard so the top of your head just brushes against the bottom of the web. The silk is exceptionally thick and strong.
Once I got a full face o' web including the spider and it we both wanted the same thing: he didn't want to be on me and I didn't want him on me, either! We had a contest to see who could jump the furtherest.
This non expert concurs that the spiders are Nephila Clavipes. See the pictures at http://www.nicksspiders.com/nicksspiders/nephilaclavipes.htm
Is the silk yellow/golden? It doesn't show in your shots.
As for size, he states, "This spider is commonly known as the 'calico spider' and is one of the largest orb weaving spiders."
Strangely, I found no numbers given for the size of these spiders in my quick search. The image at Wikipedia's Nephila Clavipes is the only one to provide some scale and makes me wonder if Texas or Costa Rica gets the bragging rights.
When you say the largest of the spiders was probably 3", are you referring to body length or legspan?
We get Nephilids here in Sydney and the large females can be as big, in my personal observation, as 4" or more in legspan. Most guides however measure spiders in terms of body length from chelicerae to spinnerets.
Nephila is pretty much the largest orb weaver on the market, and I can concur with earlier posters on a: strength of silk (surprising resistance) and b: potential shock value on walking/riding through a web complete with occupant!
I've read tales of Nephila webs capturing small birds. they're strong!
hmm... just re-read the article and I've answered my own question! d'oh.
I'm no spider expert or anything, but they look to be a species of argiope to me.
It is that time of year. Follow the link to the closest photo I could find of the exact spider here in California front yard. My pet is 3.5" in length. I would post my own photo here if I knew how. Looks like you found the same species.