National Museum of Natural Science

A member of the family Araneidae, the black-and-white spiny spider (Gasteracantha kuhlii) measures around 0.8 cm in length. It is often seen in low-elevation forests.

Like other species in the Gasteracantha genus, the black-and-white spiny spider has a very hard abdominal carapace with three pairs of pointy spines and multiple round sunken spots, making it very easy to identify.

This is a typical orb-weaver spider. What is special is that it builds a barrier net outside its orb web and attaches clusters of threads every few centimeters (called tuft decorations). Barrier webs and tuft decorations reduce the chance of being attacked by its natural enemies.

Black-and-white spiny spider (adult female)