Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Gasteracantha mammosa

Asian Spinybacked Spider

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Asian Spinybacked Spider, Asian Spinyback Spider, Double-spotted Spiny Spider

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE India - Sri Lanka; EXOTIC EXOTIC se.Asia - Fiji - Cooks - Tuamotu, Hawai‘i; n. to Philippines; s. to Australia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group only (Mangaia only); Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; poisonous bite

KEY FEATURES: Large, nearly vertical orb-web decorates with whtie tufts of fine silk with female at centre; males have smaller webs nearby. FEMALE ABDOMEN to 10mmØ with 6 thick spines (2 each side, 2 at rear); polymorphic but typically black and yellow-brown with extensive white markings including two central white "eyes"; sometimes uniformly black. MALE smaller, to 5mmØ, without obvious spines. Eggs in green, flattened egg-sacs near the web.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Spinybacked Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis, in Hawai‘i but NOT KNOWN in the Cooks) is white with black spots and red spines.

Enlarged Image of 'Gasteracantha mammosa'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
++

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Gasteracantha mammosa C.L.Kock, 1844
SYNONYMS: Thelacantha brevispina (Doleschall, 1857)

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; CHELICERATA; ARACHNIDA; Araneae (=Araneida); Araneomorphae; ARANEIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: poisonous bite. Comments: Its spicky webs can be a residential nuisance; and it frequently bites people it comes into contact with. The bite is painful with localised swelling, and people who are allergic to insect bites should seek medical advice.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen+photo, 2006/12, several on road SE of Quarry, G.McCormack with ID as Gasteracanthus mammosa from Web data.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB06b, zM06b, zD06b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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