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Hello Spiderreader,

15th of October my brother saw this spider on Vlieland (island in the north of Holland).
I find it difficult to say what kind of spider this is..

- It looks like an Araneus alsine, but can it have a cross on its back?
- Is it a strange diadematus (shape and color isn't normal for it I think)
- It could even be a strange quadratus (with cross on it's back?)

Is there a difference between these species when you look to it's Carapace with transverse groove posteriorly?

Regards, Robert Heemskerk

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Maybe next website can help you?
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/spidhomeNL.htm

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Thank you Andr?, I have already visited this site.
And bookmarked it.
It could not solve my questions...:(

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Try to contact the owner of the site.
Or you can send the photo to my emailaddress and I will forward it to a colleage of mine, interested in spiders... :)

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It seems like an Araneus diadematus. Araneus alsine is much more orange, and much more spotted. I am for Araneus diadematus.

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Hello!



It is a female Araneus diadematus for sure. A. alsine never has those "cross" markings, giving A. diadematus its german name Gartenkreuzspinne (of course, A. marmoreus can have such a cross, but it is otherwise marked differently).
The red color often appears here in Germany, I have seen individuals from light yellow to nearly black. Some examples on my website (sorry, text only in German): http://insektenfo...ematus.htm.
The more rounded opisthosoma (abdomen) is mostly to having had a good meal ;-) or carrying many eggs.

Here an A. alsine (rather dull spotted female):

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Thanks a lot! for your reaction.
I'll sent it to my brother ;)

robert,