Celaenia excavata

Bird-dropping spider at Cook, ACT

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Celaenia excavata Bron 12 Apr 2021
Celaenia excavata CathB 12 Apr 2021

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Same spider shown with its moth prey in sightings 4373081 and 4378642. Image 1 shows it at night with legs outstretched in hunting posture; image 2, also at night, shows it with a shrivelled abdomen after not feeding for some time and producing a new egg sac; image 3 shows its typical daytime posture sitting motionless on egg sacs with legs drawn in; image 4 shows the ventral side of the abdomen with 2 spiderlings; image 5 is a side view after producing an eighth egg sac. Since first seen on 2 February, the spider has fed on one Diarsia intermixta and 21 Proteuxoa tortisigna moths and produced 3 new egg sacs. Spiderlings have only been seen on two occasions, although holes have appeared in five of the egg sacs during this time. As the egg sacs are thought to contain up to 200 eggs, either most do not hatch or else they disperse very quickly.

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Location information

Sighting information

  • 1 Abundance
  • 1 Apr 2021 11:21 AM Recorded on
  • CathB Recorded by
  • 12mm to 25mm Animal size

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