''Neoscona punctigera'' is a widespread species of

orb-weaver spider Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...

found from Japan to mainland Asia, Australia and several Western Indian Ocean islands. The female reaches about and the male about . It is well-camouflaged during the day when sitting on bark, but when it hunts during the night it sits in the web and attracts insect prey with its bright, contrasting spots on the underside of the abdomen. ''N. punctigera'' builds spiral shaped webs. This spider and close relatives (for example, '' N. vigilans'') are commonly found in the Philippines, where the females frequently are used for

spider fighting Spider fighting or spider derby is a sport involving spiders that occurs in different forms in several areas of the world. Among them are the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. The fights that occur in the Philippines and in Japan are st ...

References

*Bensen, Amanda, et al
Wild Things- Life as We Know It
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Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' maga ...

''. March 2008. Volume 38. Number 12. Pg 12. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1310885 punctigera Spiders of Asia Spiders described in 1857