Cyrtophora species
Tent-Web Spider Identification in Australia
Web-building spider with a tent-like or dome-like web rather than a simple flat orb.
Usually low riskTent-web spiders are best recognised by the three-dimensional web structure they build in vegetation. Instead of a flat wheel-and-spoke orb, look for a tent, dome or bowl-like sheet supported by additional threads above and below, often among shrubs or garden plants. The web shape is more reliable than body colour in an ordinary photo and helps separate these spiders from black house spiders, which use a messy retreat web around a crevice, and from daddy-long-legs in loose indoor corner webs. They are generally low-risk web builders; avoid pulling apart an occupied web to inspect the spider.
Quick identification
- Three-dimensional tent or dome web
- Often in shrubs or trees
- Spider sits within web structure
- Not a simple round flat web
What to check next
Check whether the web forms a tent or dome with support threads around it.
When to seek medical help
Seek advice for severe or unexpected symptoms.
Where it is usually seen
Shrubs, trees, gardens and bushland edges.