Summary details for Garden Orb-Web Spider (Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757)

Species Details

Species name: Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757
Common name: Garden Orb-Web Spider
Other common names: Garden Spider
Synonyms: Aranea diadema, Araneus diademata Linnaeus, 1758
Taxonomy: Animalia :: Araneae :: Araneidae

Distribution

The species is widespread in most of Britain. It is widespread in western and central Europe.

Habitat and ecology

A large and distinctively marked spider found in a wide range of habitats wherever the habitat can provide supports for its large and conspicuous orb web, such as all types of woodland, scrub and other vegetation, hedgerows and roadside verges, buildings (sometimes inside) and gardens, as well as heathland, quarries and cliff-faces. It spins large orb webs up to 40 cm across at heights of between 1.5 m and 2.5 m (Jones 1983) in shrubs and tall herbaceous vegetation. Both sexes are mature in late summer and autumn, females surviving through to late autumn. It takes two years for the young spiderlings to reach maturity in Britain, and immatures may be found throughout the year.

Status

Common. Original authors of profile: P. Lee and T. Thomas Text based on Harvey, P.R., Nellist, D.R. & Telfer, M.G. (eds) 2002. Provisional atlas of British spiders (Arachnida, Araneae), Volumes 1 & 2. Huntingdon: Biological Records Centre.

Stats

First recorded: 1800
Last recorded: 2025
Total records: 14,985
Total visits: 14,692

Conservation status

Araneus diadematus

Source	Reporting category	Designation	Date designated	Comments
A Review of the scarce and threatened spiders (Araneae) of Great Britain: Species Status No. 22 (Sep 2017)	Red listing based on 2001 IUCN guidelines	Least concern	01/09/2017

Photos and media

Spatial distribution - hectad map

Click on one of the date ranges in the key to highlight that particular range. Click anywhere else on the map to go back to all three date ranges.

Thresholds:

Move mouse cursor over dot for info

Rejected records are excluded from this map. Unverified records are included.

Temporal distribution - records by year

Records that span more than one year are not included in this chart.