One of the most common spiders in Hong Kong, the Giant golden orb-weaver (Nephila pilipes) can be found in primary and secondary forests almost anywhere in Hong Kong.
This species has a wide distribution throughout Asia, China, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, and also Papua New Guinea, and Australia.
They may look creepy to you, but don’t worry when you find them next time. They are generally not aggressive and basically harmless to humans. They just eat bugs. But they do get big.
This is the largest spider in Hong Kong. Well, I mean just the ladies. Sexual dimorphism is obvious in this species. A good example of female gigantism and male dwarfism. Females can grow up to 20 cm, while males can be 10 times smaller. So next time when you’re on a hike, finding a big and small spider together. They may not be mother and son but a loving couple.
See more of my encounters with Hong Kong Wildlife.
Nephila pilipes 或斑絡新婦 (又稱人面蜘蛛), 是香港其中種最常見的蜘蛛之一。可以在原始森林及次生林找到 (基本上遍佈整個香港)。
這個品種遍佈亞洲, 包括中國, 日本, 越南, 柬埔寨, 台灣, 馬來西亞, 新加坡, 緬甸, 印尼, 泰國, 老撾, 菲律賓, 斯里蘭卡, 印度, 尼泊爾, 巴布亞新畿內亞及澳洲。
牠們看上去也許有點可怕, 但如果你遇到牠們, 請不用擔心。牠們基本上對人類無害, 牠們只吃昆蟲, 雖然牠們的體型可以很大。牠們是香港最大的蜘蛛, 當然, 我指雌性的人面蜘蛛。兩性異形的情況在這個品種中很明顯, 這是一個表現了雌性的巨型化及雄性的矮小化的好例子。
雌性人面蜘蛛的體長可以長達20厘米, 但雄性只有十分之一的大小。所以下次你走到郊外時看到一大一小的蜘蛛, 牠們可能不是母子而是一對戀人。
