Plebs bradleyi
Enamelled Spider Identification in Australia
A colourful Australian orb-weaver whose large rounded abdomen can look painted with glossy green, cream, yellow, orange or brown enamel-like panels.
Usually low riskThe enamelled spider or Bradley’s grass orb-weaver, Plebs bradleyi, is an Australian araneid orb-weaver. Older books, labels and image records may call it Araneus bradleyi, so that name is useful when comparing older material. A likely adult female is substantial for a low-vegetation orb-weaver: roughly 14–18 mm in body length, with a smaller male around 8–9 mm. Its name comes from the glossy, sharply bounded abdominal pattern, but colour is highly variable. The useful field combination is a rounded patterned abdomen, ordinary eight-legged orb-weaver build, a sloping circular web in vegetation, and an eastern or southern Australian setting—not any one jade-green photograph.
Quick identification
- Adult female often 14–18 mm in body length, with a clearly smaller male
- Rounded, deep abdomen with glossy, enamel-like panels or bands rather than a fixed single colour
- Green, cream, yellow, orange, brown and white forms can occur, including very jade-green animals
- A circular orb web, commonly sloping between grass, shrubs or garden plants rather than a messy tangle
- Australian records accepted for South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania
What to check next
Photograph the spider from above and below, the whole web, and the supporting vegetation. Estimate body length without the legs. Then compare web geometry, abdomen outline and underside markings with other orb-weavers; do not decide from a bright green or orange back alone.
When to seek medical help
Plebs bradleyi is not one of the groups highlighted by healthdirect as medically significant in Australia, but it should not be handled to test that point. For a witnessed minor spider bite, wash with soap and water and use a wrapped cold pack for local discomfort. Seek medical advice for severe or persistent pain, worsening swelling, infection signs or feeling unwell; call 000 for breathing difficulty, collapse or anaphylaxis. If the spider was not confidently identified and could be a funnel-web or mouse spider, treat that as an emergency rather than relying on this page.
Where it is usually seen
Low orb webs among grass, shrubs, garden plants and woodland-edge vegetation. The web can be stretched between stems or foliage rather than high in a tree, and the spider may retreat into surrounding vegetation during daylight.