Australian Spiders -- Cicada Lunch

This page contains details and photos of a large Cicada being caught by an orb Weaving Spider.

Click on thumbnail image to see a larger, higher resolution photo.

Photo 1

I saw this red eye cicada flying around in our shade house. They grow very big and I was surprised to see it get caught in a Garden Orb spider web.

This was the largest cicada I have ever seen. Its body measured 60 mm long and overall wingspan was 150 mm.

Photo 3

Suddenly, and without any warning, the spider ran onto the cicada's back and began biting it just below the head.

The cicada put up a fight and tried vainly to break free, but the spider held on and made several long bites.

Photo 5

With the cicada secured more firmly, the spider returned to the original position and applied another series of bites.

The process of biting then wrapping continued until the cicada finally stopped moving.

Photo 2

I didn't know how long the web would hold the big cicada so I quickly went to get my camera.

By the time I got back, the spider had arrived on the scene. It spent about 10 seconds carefully watching the cicada from a distance of around 100 mm.

Photo 4

When the web began to break up, the spider stopped biting and made several laps around the cicada.

The cicada was still moving, but with each circuit, the spider gained more control.

Photo 6

There was not much to see the next morning. The remains of the cicada were hanging just above ground level.

Although it had feasted on the giant cicada overnight, the spider still appeared to be the same size.