Sooty Orb-Weaver Spider Identification in Australia

About the Sooty orb-weaver

Sooty orb-weavers are small Australian orb-weaving spiders from the newer Salsa genus. They are most useful to compare when a brown, reddish-brown or dark patterned spider is sitting in a round web in garden shrubs, open forest, dry sclerophyll forest or other low vegetation, especially in south-eastern and southern Australia.

Exact-species hero photograph: Salsa fuliginata by Carey-Knox-Southern-Scales, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

How to identify the Sooty orb-weaver without relying on the old Cyclosa label

The accepted name is Salsa fuliginata (L. Koch, 1872), an orb-weaver in the family Araneidae. Older Australian records and photographs may call it Epeira fuliginata, Epeira rubicundula, Araneus or Cyclosa fuliginata. The 2022 Salsa revision moved this species into a new genus and describes a combination that is more useful than the common name: a small orb-weaver with a single posterior abdominal tubercle, pale spindle-shaped bands on the underside, a dark patterned dorsal abdomen and the normal eight-eyed araneid build. In the field, start with the whole web and setting, then inspect the body from above and below only if the spider is visible without disturbance. A brown spider in a round web supports a comparison, not a photo-only species confirmation; adult genital characters and an expert specimen examination remain stronger evidence.

Clues that are not enough on their own

• A dark, brown or reddish colour without the body pattern and web context
• Any round orb web, because many Araneidae build similar webs
• A single rear bump or white spot hidden by a curled abdomen or flash glare
• A small body measured from a perspective-distorted photograph
• A South Australian, NSW, Victorian or Tasmanian location treated as a species diagnosis
• The former Cyclosa name assumed to be current without checking the 2022 Salsa revision
• A web in a garden treated as proof when the spider itself is not visible

Colour, sex and life-stage variation

Size and colour vary with sex, maturity, moult, light and the background of the web. NatureMapr summarises males at roughly 3.5–5 mm body length and females at about 7–9 mm, but a camera can make a small spider appear much larger. Adult females may look brown, reddish-brown, charcoal or almost black, with pale or darker abdominal patterning; males are smaller and can have a slimmer outline and swollen palps. Juveniles can have a smoother abdomen, pale legs and a darker central pattern before adult markings settle. The underside white spots and single rear tubercle are useful when clearly visible, but flash glare, a curled abdomen or an oblique view can hide them. Do not convert a sooty colour, a round web or a short body estimate alone into Salsa fuliginata.

Behaviour, web and retreat

This is a conventional orb-web builder. A female typically places a round, symmetrical web in shrubs, bushes, low vegetation or garden plants and occupies the hub or a nearby resting position, often at night when flying insects are active. The web is a prey-catching structure, not a retreat that proves one species; other araneids can build similar circles in the same garden. The spider may rebuild or repair silk after weather, prey strikes or disturbance, and a juvenile may make a smaller or less regular web. Observe from a distance and photograph the web frame, hub, supporting plant and spider together. Do not poke the hub, walk into the web to make the spider move or remove a web for inspection.

Australian distribution

The World Spider Catalog currently records Salsa fuliginata from South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and notes that it has been introduced to New Zealand. Australian Faunal Directory and Atlas of Living Australia records support the accepted species and its southern and south-eastern occurrence; a Museums Victoria adult male specimen is documented from Victoria. The page therefore keeps South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as visible state filters. A record from another state may represent a different Salsa, an older name used broadly or a misidentification. Do not expand the species range from a social-media label, a garden photograph or the broad distribution of the genus.

What to do if you find one

Photograph the whole orb web first, including its height, supporting plant and broad locality. If the spider is in the hub, use zoom rather than touching the silk, and record a dorsal view, an underside view only when naturally visible and a safe scale reference already in the scene. Do not hold the spider, pull the web apart or place a ruler against it. Wear gloves and closed shoes when gardening and keep children and pets away from webs at face height. This species is not usually considered dangerous; for a suspected bite, wash the area and use a wrapped cold pack. Seek medical advice for severe or spreading symptoms, allergic features, infection signs or uncertainty about what caused the bite, and call 000 for collapse or breathing difficulty.

Compare with similar spiders

Use body shape, web or retreat, location and behaviour together before settling on a likely match.

• Garden orb weaver — Garden orb-weaver - Hortophora species can be larger and heavier-bodied but share round night webs and garden settings; compare the abdomen pattern and web scale rather than colour alone.
• Heroic orb weaver — Heroic orb-weaver - Backobourkia heroine may share shrub webs and dark patterning; the body outline, web placement and current taxonomy need to agree before using Salsa.
• Painted cross spider — Painted cross spider - an Argiope may also sit in a visible orb web, but a stabilimentum or cross-like leg posture points elsewhere; do not use a generic round web as the separator.
• Silver orb weaver — Silver orb-weaver - Leucauge and related species are often paler with a reflective abdomen and different proportions. A single bright patch or web location is not enough to choose between them.

Sources for this profile

These accessible authoritative sources support the identification and bite-safety context on this page.

• Australian Faunal Directory: Salsa fuliginata
• Atlas of Living Australia: Salsa fuliginata
• World Spider Catalog: Salsa fuliginata
• World Spider Catalog: Salsa catalogue
• Framenau & Castanheira 2022 Salsa revision
• World Spider Catalog: Salsa revision reference
• NatureMapr: Salsa fuliginata account
• Australian Museum: Spider webs
• healthdirect: Spider bites
• Wikimedia Commons: exact Salsa fuliginata photograph

Profile review

Published by Spider Identifier Australia. Last factual review: 13 August 2026.