Celaenia calotoides

Bird-dropping spider at Cook, ACT

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Identification history

	Celaenia calotoides	27 Dec 2021	MichaelMulvaney
	Celaenia calotoides	20 Dec 2021	CathB

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User's notes

Since it was first noticed in mid-November, this spider has caught at least 18 moths and produced two new spiky egg sacs. Fourteen moths have been examined by Glenn Cocking and identified as male Philobota productella. The last picture shows 3 of these, still wrapped in web, after the spider had finished with them. Another 4 collected since appear to be the same. These spiders are known to attract their prey by mimicking the pheromones produced by female moths to attract a mate.

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Location information

Coordinates 149.073951 -35.269441
Maps Mount Painter
Places Cook, ACT

Sighting information

At least 1 Abundance
17 Dec 2021 06:08 AM Recorded on
CathB Recorded by
Collections
Spiders Orb-weaving spiders (several families) CathB Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr

Additional information

5mm to 12mm Animal size

Species information

Celaenia calotoides Scientific name
Bird-dropping spider Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 685m Recorded at altitude
Machine learning
External link More information

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania