Pea spider (Araneus apricus)

Araneus apricus, or green-pea spider, is a nocturnal orb weaving spider from South Africa.

These nocturnal web orb web dwellers build their orb webs at night to catch a prey and remove it early next morning. 

Orb-weavers such as Araneus apricus, Cyclosa insulana and Isoxya tabulata, and crab spiders, viz. Diaea puncta, Thomisops scrupeus, Simorcus cotti and Runcinia flavida. All these species are foliage dwellers, and the absence of diagnostic ground dwelling species are probably the result of the localized distribution of epigeal species within the Savanna Biome.

Photo by: Kate Braun

Source: Dippenaar-Schoeman, Wonderful spiders, Quest, Ansie, Sabinet Online. 2005,Vol 1 (4) 24-27, 29.

Changing Diversity in Changing Environment, Edited by Oscar Grillo and Gianfranco Venora p. cm. ISBN 978-953-307-796-3

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