I do not usually post images if spiders, as they are not insects, but one of my favorite spiders in a resident of Hawaii. It is not a native species, but rather originated in India and Sri Lanka. It was introduced to Hawaii in 1985. Their populations are controlled by the Red-Vented Bulbul, a bird also from India, which is its only natural predator. The birds themselves are also an invasive species around the world, and in Hawaii they prey on many insects. The bird is not deterred by the Monarch butterfly's toxin, and so a white variety of the Monarch has developed, which is able to evade predation better than the orange morph.
Arachnida; Araneae; Araneomorphae; Araneoidea; Araneidae; Gasteracantha mammosa
Common Name: Asian Spinybacked Spider
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