Nephila inaurata
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| Nephila inaurata (Walckenaer, 1842) |
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Epeira inaurata |
The Red-legged golden orb-web spider (Nephila inaurata) is a species of golden orb-web spider. It lives in Southern Africa and several islands in the Indian Ocean (the Seychelles, Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues). Being part of the Nephila family it can weave webs so strong that sometimes even birds and bats get caught. Its webs can be found in damp places like in big trees and unpolluted areas where no cars have access to, normally several are strung together to form enormous "homes" so as to cover as much surface are as possible.
This species feeds on flies, mosquitoes, moths, wasps and unfortunate beetles who happen to get tangled up.
One subspecies is currently recognized: Nephila inaurata madagascariensis (Vinson, 1863), which occurs from South Africa to the Seychelles.
