Arachnids

Arachnids are the class of animals from the Arthropods (animals with jointed limbs) characterized by the possession of four pairs of legs and two major body regions; the cephalothorax (a fusion of the head and thorax) and the abdomen. In this class are the scorpions, spiders, ticks and mites.

Spiders are the largest order of arachnids. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent (with the exception of Antarctica). To date, approximately 40,000 spider species and 109 families have been recorded. The spiders of Malaysia can be in a variety of colour, size and forms. On the other hand, only five species of scorpions can be found in Malaysia and they are generally nocturnal. They are known to feed on insects and millipedes.

Fighting Spider (Thiania bhamoensis)

Males of this species readily fight each other and they are therefore commonly known as “fighting spider” in Southeast Asia. Children especially are familiar with the pastime of keeping these spiders in matchboxes and enjoying fighting bouts between 2 males. The spider builds a nest, often in the spider lily plant by binding two leaves together with vertical strands of silk, perpendicular to the leaf surfaces. This spider is not an active hunter, but tends to remain in wait near the nest for the prey to stray within leaping distance.

Curved spiny spider (Gasteracantha arcuata)

Spiders of the Gasteracantha genus build vertical orb-webs with an open hub which are easily recognized. They have a hard, flat body armed with three pairs of spines on the edge of the abdomen. These spiders vary greatly in colour, shape and size, measuring between 2 to 30 mm. They have eight eyes arranged in horizontal rows of four eyes each. The males are generally much smaller than the females and commonly lack the showy colouring of their female counterpart. They often spin their own similar orb web near an outlying portion of the female’s.

St Andrew’s Cross spider

These spiders make webs which are suspended vertically 1 to 2 meters from the ground in sunny parts of the forest. The web of mature female spiders of this genus can be easily recognized by the X-shaped zigzag bands of white silk in the centre of the web. The brilliantly coloured spider with silvery hair on the carapace sits head down in the centre of the web and holds its legs in pairs in such a way that they appear to be aligned to the four arms of the letter “X”. The males are dull in colour and like the females have the habit of pairing their legs. The flat, oval, whitish egg-sac has a papery texture and is often suspended near the web.

Golden orb-web spider (Nephila maculate)

This spider is commonly found in primary and secondary forests and gardens. Females are large and grow to a body size of 30 to 50 mm, with males growing to 5 to 6 mm. The female spins a strong vertical web with a golden tinge. The web is not a symmetrical orb, but the hub (centre) is usually nearer the top. Sometimes, the main orb-web of the spider is protected by barrier webs on both sides. The male of this species is much tinier than the female. Before laying eggs, the female digs a pit on the ground and produces her egg-sac there. The egg-sac is then covered with plant debris and soil.