About Gasteracantha panisicca Butler, 1873
Based on Butler's original 1873 description, the female Gasteracantha panisicca has distinctive traits common to all Gasteracantha spiders. Excluding abdominal spines, the abdomen measures 2+1⁄2 lines long and 5+1⁄2 lines wide at its widest point. The total body length of the female reaches 3+2⁄3 lines, with prominent spines extending from the abdomen. The structure of the cephalothorax and abdomen is similar to that of Gasteracantha taeniata, and spines emerge from six abdominal angles. The abdomen has four central and eighteen marginal black spots set into its surface. The dorsal side is pale testaceous (whitey-brown) with a rugose texture, while the abdominal margins are speckled with black granules. The abdominal spines are black, rugose, and covered in fine hairs. The ventral surface is whitey-brown, speckled with black granules, has black impressed spots along its margin, and bears the characteristic black conical projection seen in all members of the Gasteracantha genus. This species has a wide distribution across Southeast Asia, ranging from Myanmar through the Philippines and extending to Indonesia, specifically the island of Java.
