| Araniella sp. (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942) |
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Scientific name: Araniella sp. (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942) Common name: French name: Order: Araneae Family: Araneidae Size: 8 to 11 mm for females, 5 mm for males. Biotope: Woodland edges, bushes, parks and gardens. Web: Irregular shaped orb-web of about 10cm diameter and having 15 to 30 radii. The spider waits for preys at the centre of the web. Observation period: You can observe adults from May to July. Geographic area: Palaearctic zone for Araniella cucurbitina and Araniella inconspicua. Europe and central Asia for Araniella opisthographa and Araniella alpica. Holarctic zone for Araniella displicata. |
When you restrict to France, the Araniella genus includes the Cucumber Green Spider (Araniella cucurbitina), the Six-spotted Orbweaver (Araniella displicata), Araniella alpica, Araniella inconspicua and Araniella opisthographa. Their cephalothorax is orange brown and almost translucent. The legs are greenish brown. The abdomen is bright green and bordered with yellow on the underside. There is a variable number of black dots on each side and there can be a small red patch below at the rear. The young spiders, which hatch out in autumn, are a reddish colour. They turn to brown in winter and only get their bright green colour in spring. Here is some information about species, knowing that with pictures you will almost always stay at Araniella sp. The number of black dots on the side of the abdomen gives indications but there is too much variability to lead to a conclusion. The Cucumber Green Spider (Araniella cucurbitina) and Araniella opisthographa are the most common spiders of this genus. They are the only ones to show 4 pairs of dots. Females of Araniella opisthographa have a body length of up to 11 mm while Araniella cucurbitina reaches a maximum of 8,5 mm. This is quite impossible to evaluate on a picture, that's why you do need an exam of the genitalia to tell both species apart. The Six-spotted Orbweaver (Araniella displicata) has only three dots on the side of the abdomen and they are sometimes missing. The abdomen can be reddish brown and can show a specific pattern with wavy white stripes bordering a darker central area. Araniella alpica has only two dots on the side of the abdomen. You can also tell it apart with the four pale patches on a dark band on the underside. Araniella inconspicua has no black dots on the side of the abdomen. This is a rarer spider, but as the other species can miss black dots, identifying this species on a picture is quite difficult. |
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The four pair of dots restrict the possible species to Araniella cucurbitina and Araniella opisthographa. |
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I have observed this spider on a woodland edge. Its colours, including the red patch below, are relatively brighter than those of other specimens I am used to observing. |
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This Spider has spun an horizontal web on top of a Laurel leaf. You can see the small red patch near the tip of the abdomen. |
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Under side view of a female. The lack of pale spots in the dark green band allows to discard the Araniella alpica species. |
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Under side view of a male. The lack of pale spots in the dark green band allows to discard the Araniella alpica species. |
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The colour of the abdomen indicates a juvenile spider. |
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This spider was observed on the hood of the car with a nice reflection due to the metallic paint. It moves with a safety silk thread. |
André Bon November 2022