After leaving Eromanga the first overnight stop was St George at the Balonne Inn. The Doc stayed there two nights and went to visit Alton National Park for a day visit. While there he photographed an unknown spider. The Doc has finally identified it as a Priestly Spiny Orbweaver (Gasteracantha sacerdotalis). This sighting is over 400 kilometers west of any other sighting of this species, as most sightings are along the Queensland Coast.
The Narrow-leafed Drumstick flower. Weeveil rumble in one image.
A plant from south west WA, with a resident spider, but the spider is presumably from western Sydney as it was growing at the Mt Annan Botanic Gardens. The spider’s adaptations suited life on this species. The colour and shape of its legs closely matched the shape and colour of the stamens and new growth areas on the plant. Look at centre top of the frame, where the legs are similar in colour to new growth. The shape of the front legs look a lot like the shape and colour of the stamens (other posted images show the stamens better). Without knowing more about the spider species, perhaps the spider usually lives on an Eastern Australian flower that shares the same colour (yellow being common) and a similar flower shape. Even the dark colour at flower centre, is roughly the same shape as the spider’s abdomen!
EDIT: the spider comes from a family commonly called crab spiders or flower crab spiders.
Not the favourite bird of bee-keepers.
Just returned from a Cape York Trip visiting the AWC Sanctuary called Piccaninny Plains. Piccaninny Plains is the name of the pastoral lease if you were wondering. Report and photos here.
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