Spiders always choose better home...this choose exoskeleton of an insect
Signature spider with house gecko kill
For the Crane Fly, see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117712904
Territorial confrontation?
Or mating ?
Is there sexual dimorphism ?
Probably flushed out from their hiding places by flooding due to the overnight downpour.
Saw this with it's egg sac, on closer observation could see that it was filled with baby spiders & parasite wasps.
Was seen predating on a social spider, Stegodyphus sp
With non biting midge kill
Spider with parasitic wasp eggs on it's back.
Portia labiata female feeding on neoscona thesi
The unseen - Fishing spider in its elements
Ever wondered why a peculiar looking spider look that way? Why all the spots, stripes and hairs? Why that color scheme?
Well, this picture might give a clue. The white spots on the fishing spider possibly helps it become one with the reflections. The brown color helps it merge with the rocks.
The predator or prey might not notice a few white spots moving amidst the bright reflections in the rocky, aquatic terrain.
Brilliant isn't it!!
This spider is so well camouflaged expect for the 3 newly formed pale colored limbs which are sticking out like a sore thumb :-D
With spider egg parasitoids from the family - platygastridae (likely Idris sps)
Chorizopes preying on Argiope
Eriovixia With Derbiid plant hoppers as prey
About 1 inch spider with a unique 'trap-door' like web built about 6 feet on a tree trunk next to a stream deep inside the rainforest. Upon removing the 'lid' the natural cavity was lined with fine silk (hence the blue tinge due to the flash). No photo prominantly showing eye-pattern, one image produced here photographed by Rohit Nandakumar. Identification is tentative, because this family is not reported from anywhere in India except the Himalayan region.
A very small spider, observed making small orb-webs with the centre attached to a conical retreat made up of debris. Webs mostly built under 30 cm from the forest floor, generally under a small plant. Several such webs found inside the rainforest. One of these that was photographed had a female, male, and at least two spiderlings living inside the same retreat.
another diff colour rhene. more black in the front and yellow in the abdomen
Observed a vailimia male and female sharing the same orb web.
They got disturbed while we photographed.
The male took the chance to dance and seduce the female. But, female.was not interested
on wild plant leaf
saw near near the house railings and then moved to the shrub
Found this on a wild plant, noon macro walk.
Molting on web
an interesting find. we would have ignored as parawixia but the abdomen was so different with colors and patterns. may be look more further when we go there next
With Nephilengys kill
Here is a set of pictures showing the typical moves the male makes in the process of mating.
I was watching this Harmochirus female roaming in the open while on a phone call. Suddenly a Plexippus showed up and quickly advanced towards it before catching it! Managed to take some pics while the call was still ongoing.
I was watching a Harmochirus female roaming in the open while on a phone call. Suddenly this one showed up and quickly advanced towards it before catching it! Managed to take some pics while the call was still ongoing.
With a wasp prey
Carrhotus viduus - "Fighting"
I was working on my office laptop one afternoon when I heard my 7 year old niece Varna calling for me from the terrace. I knew she had found some bug or spider from her enthusiasm.
I decided to investigate what she had found and went to the terrace when she exclaimed "Chikkappaaaa CAMERA thagondbanni illi ondu jeda ide!!" (uncle bring your camera! there is a spider here!!)
My ever curious and attentive niece never fails to show me every individual spider and bug she encounters. So before I attached my macro diffuser to my flash... fixed my flash, diffuser, raynox to my camera... I wanted to know what she had found this time. If it was a common creature I would have had to make up some excuse not to photograph it again. So I was like "noduva yaava jeda antha". And to my surprise this is what she showed me!
A pair of Carrhotus viduus mating on a Ficus leaf, among the galls, 4 feet away and below the terrace level. I was surprised she could identify it as a spider from that distance given the pair were all bunched up.
I quickly got my camera, carefully pulled the branch closer with one hand and started photographing them when the intrusion caused them to separate and look at each each with utter disbelief. This is when my niece exclaimed "eradu jeda ide chikkappa!! enu maadtha ide?!" (there are 2 spiders uncle! what are they doing?!)
I now had to think fast and I did -
I calmly told her they were fighting. (they were actually mating)
She asked why...
I said they were fighting for the ownership of the tree. Whoever wins gets to eat all the insects on that tree.
So she exclaimed - "Noduva yaaru gelthaare antha!" (let's see who wins!)
As if this was the cue they were waiting for, the "Black and white" spider started "fighting" with the "brown and yellow" spider very enthusiastically :-D
Found this spider with kill on a wild plant. Night walk macro.
Inaturalist AI suggestion. Looked like an ant mimic
Predating a baby lizard
I was photographing the Ground Crab Spider when my spider enthusiast buddy Shashikanth brought my attention to the approaching Jumping Spider. I quickly took a wider shot framing both of them together and waited with bated breath to see what happens when they eventually meet. As luck would have it, the Jumping spider changed direction randomly and moved away the Crab spiders' location :-D
This is one of my favorite photos from the spider hunt in Gajendragada with Shashikanth.
Found at chest height on a nature trail.
Male spider chancing its opportunity to mate while the female was busy feeding on weaver ant and avoiding the Jackal flies.
See how beautifully she has built herself a silk retreat under a leaf.
I was fascinated by the shape of the web. How complex and well designed!
Found this during macro on a bark during macro walk.
Had a great day finding and photographing spiders with @shashikanthbkambannavar
This spider was so restless we had to trap it using our hands to get any decent shots. It would jump once every second and always away from the camera.
Makalidurga