Gasteracantha hasselti

Gasteracantha hasselti
In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Gasteracantha
Species:	G. hasselti
Binomial name
Gasteracantha hasselti C. L. Koch, 1837[1]

Gasteracantha hasselti, commonly known as Hasselt's spiny spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Araneidae. It is a native of Asia, occurring from India eastwards to Indonesia.

Typical of this genus, the male of this species is small and rather nondescript but the female is rather larger and very colourful. She is usually around 8 mm in length (excluding legs). The carapace has a dense covering of white hairs. The abdomen is roughly triangular and bright orange with 12 black spots arranged in two rows along the back and six black spikes around the margin, the two at the rear corners being much the longest, straight and pointed.

Gallery

References

• Preston-Mafham, Ken (1998). Spiders: Compact Study Guide and Identifier. Angus Books. ISBN 978-1-904594-93-2.