A little nature at my workplace

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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dissent
Posts: 146
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:48 pm
Location: Illinois

A little nature at my workplace

Post by dissent »

Found this little lady who spun her web well above my head at my workplace. Had to get a ladder to get close. Also had to get a bit bendy even to get this, and my body doesn't do bendy as well as it used to.

Can anyone here tell what species I'm looking at?
Spider overhead orb weaver for PMN.jpg
- Ian
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." - Mark Twain

MarkSturtevant
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Re: A little nature at my workplace

Post by MarkSturtevant »

I 'lean' toward the marbled orb weaver, Araneus marmoreus. But many of the orb weavers in this genus are hard to tell apart based on their markings since their colors are so variable. I have thought that one way to gain confidence in their ID from field markings is to look at the underside of the abdomen, which is also distinctly marked but less variable.
Here is what that species looks like from there: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1453968 Particularly its the black central spot with pale lateral borders that run along the entire length of the black center.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Cyclops
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Re: A little nature at my workplace

Post by Cyclops »

I was thinking Zygiella x-notata
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dissent
Posts: 146
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:48 pm
Location: Illinois

Re: A little nature at my workplace

Post by dissent »

I have a few ventral shots. Let me dig one up later to post.
- Ian
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." - Mark Twain

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