Jorō Spider (Nephila clavata)

OTHER NAMES: Golden Orb-web Spider

Latin Etymology: Nephila ("fond of spinning") clavata ("club shaped")

Adult Jorō Spider (Nephila clavata) at Kamakura, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: 5cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Jorō Spider is a massive spider-species - larger than any species in the UK, that is common throughout much of Japan (though absent from Hokkaido) and other parts of East Asia.  Their webs can be over a meter across.  It is also strongly venomous - not to the point of being fatal to humans under normal circumstances, but certainly not pleasant either.  The bright colours were a good enough warning for me to only observe them from a distance though!  Despite that, it is actually quite a popular species in Japan, and has even entered folklore.

Related Species:
Order: Araneae
Family: Nephilidae
Genus: Nephila
SUBSPECIES: unknown

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ジョロウグモ  /  Jorō-gumo ("Geisha Spider")

Widespread and Fairly Common Resident

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Several seen at Kamakura and Tokyo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto