Hairy Golden Orb-weaving Spider

Trichonephila fenestrata · Order: Araneae · Family: Araneidae

Also called: black legged golden orb-web spider, Black-legged Nephila, Blackleg Nephila, Blackleg Orbweaver

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Hairy Golden Orb-weaving Spider
Photo: Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA

It is also called the black-legged golden orb-web spider. It builds large golden yellow orb webs between trees, shrubs, and in citrus and prickly-pear orchards. It occurs naturally in Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It constructs large, complete golden yellow orb webs between trees and shrubs. The species has been found in citrus and prickly-pear orchards.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It is native to Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Hairy Golden Orb-weaving Spider photo 2
Photo: Diana Studer, CC BY
Hairy Golden Orb-weaving Spider photo 3
Photo: Roland Godon, CC BY
Hairy Golden Orb-weaving Spider photo 4
Photo: Dan Riley, CC BY
Hairy Golden Orb-weaving Spider photo 5
Photo: Karen Eichholz, CC BY

Same family (Araneidae)

Cross OrbweaverCross OrbweaverAraneus diadematusCan biteYellow Garden SpiderYellow Garden SpiderArgiope aurantiaCan biteSpotted OrbweaverSpotted OrbweaverNeoscona cruciferaCan biteGolden Silk SpiderGolden Silk SpiderTrichonephila clavipesCan biteFurrow OrbweaverFurrow OrbweaverLarinioides cornutusCan biteJoro SpiderJoro SpiderTrichonephila clavataCan bite

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_fenestrata

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.