Backobourkia brounii

Fact Box Species: Backobourkia brounii (VF) (but see note below) Previous species name: Araneus heroine (RM) then Eriophora heroine (JS) Family: Araneidae formerly Argiopidae Body length: female: 15 mm male: 7 mm Habitat: In a typical orb-shaped web between branches of shrubs; the spider may be found in the web in the evening but hiding in a retreat near the top of the web during the daylight hours; the legs are normally extended at night since the spider is feeding but retracted against the body in the daytime in the fashion typical of Eriophora species Toxicity: May cause mild illness but this spider is not very aggressive

A side view The same species? Rear view The male

Note: The spider presented on this page is very similar in appearance to Backobourkia heroine, which has also been found in South-east Queensland, and may actually be that species since both B. heroine and B. brounii have been collected in South-east Queensland. However, the recent paper by Volker Framenau and others contains images and distribution maps that make it more likely to be B. brounii than B. heroine. It is also possible that at least one of the images included on this page are actually of B. collina, but this species is mainly found in the central and western parts of Australia.

The pattern of projections on the upper surfaces of the abdomen is characteristic of this species. Those on the closely related Eriophora pustulosa are similar but the latter species is often darker and has a more angular body shape.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Eriophora species, particularly Eriophora pustulosa and Eriophora transmarina.