Poecilopachys australasia
Two-Spined Spider Identification in Australia
Distinctive eastern Australian orb-weaver whose adult female has a rounded enamel-like abdomen, vivid red-yellow-green-black pattern and two large white rear spines; males and juveniles look very different.
Usually low riskThe two-spined spider, Poecilopachys australasia, is most recognisable as an adult female: about 7 mm long, with a broad rounded abdomen, glossy red, yellow, green and black patterning and two conspicuous white spines projecting from the rear. She hides beneath a leaf by day, builds a small horizontal orb after dark, catches night-flying insects and consumes the web again by morning. That combination is much stronger than colour alone. Adult males are only about 2.5 mm and, like young females, lack the paired abdominal spines and bright adult-female colours. A plain small orb-weaver should therefore not be forced to this species from habitat alone.
Quick identification
- Adult female about 7 mm with a broad rounded abdomen and two large white rear spines
- Glossy enamel-like red, yellow, green and black dorsal pattern
- Small horizontal orb constructed at night for moths and other flying insects
- Female hides beneath a leaf by day and eats the web in the morning
- Male about 2.5 mm and juveniles lack the adult female’s spines and bright pattern
What to check next
Photograph the adult female from directly above and from the side without touching her, then record body length without legs, the underside of the resting leaf and the complete night web. If the spider lacks both large white spines, keep the identification at orb-weaver level unless adult anatomy is examined.
When to seek medical help
No useful species-specific Australian bite series was found for Poecilopachys australasia. It is a small orb-weaver and is not listed among Australia’s medically important spiders, but absence of published cases is not proof that a bite cannot hurt. Avoid handling. For a witnessed minor spider bite, wash with soap and water and apply a cold pack for pain. Seek medical advice if pain is severe or persists, swelling or itching worsens after 24–48 hours, or you are worried; call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice. Call 000 for collapse, breathing difficulty or anaphylaxis. Treat a suspected funnel-web or mouse-spider bite as a separate emergency.
Where it is usually seen
Coastal Queensland and New South Wales forests, open woodland and heath, plus leafy gardens and orchards that reproduce those sheltered foliage conditions. Citrus leaves are a familiar daytime resting site, not an exclusive host. Current accepted sources do not support the old all-state filter; Victoria-heavy Atlas records require taxonomic review rather than automatic range expansion.