About Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Female Gasteracantha cancriformis measure 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) in length and 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) in width. This species is characterized by six spine-like projections on the abdomen. The carapace, legs, and underside of the body are black, and the underside of the abdomen has white spots. The color of the upper side of the abdomen varies: it may be white or yellow, and both color forms have black spots. White-bodied individuals can have either red or black spines, while yellow-bodied individuals always have black spines. Like many other spider species, male Gasteracantha cancriformis are much smaller, reaching only 2 to 3 mm in length, and are longer than they are wide. All morphs of the species have six abdominal spines. Males share a similar color pattern to females, but have a gray abdomen with white spots, and their spines are reduced to four or five stubby projections. This spider species has a short lifespan that ends after reproduction. Individuals hatch in winter, and reproduction usually occurs the following spring. Females die after producing an egg mass, and males die six days after completing a full cycle of sperm induction to the female. G. cancriformis is native to North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, and has been introduced to other areas including Hawaii. It prefers to live along the edges of woodlands and in shrubby gardens. Many studies of G. cancriformis are conducted in Florida citrus groves. G. cancriformis is known to coexist within and on the edges of colonies of other colonial orb-weaver spiders, primarily Metepeira incrassata. M. incrassata forms large colonies that host anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand spiders, and these colonies often accommodate other orb-weaver species including G. cancriformis.
