Spotted Orb-weaver ♀
Neoscona oaxacensis
Observed near Seven Mile wash, Gila Co., Arizona, USA. 14 September 2014.
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Insects flying between the trees and up and down canyons risk encountering the orb snares of Araneidae spiders. But the snares are erected and repaired at dusk so it is night-flying insects that are at greatest risk. This spider is heavy with eggs that will soon be produced and covered in a tough silken sac hidden within a cluster of dried leaves near her web. A longitudinal groove on the dorsum of the thorax distinguishes the genus.