About Leucauge fastigata (Simon, 1877)
Leucauge fastigata, commonly called the pear-shaped leucauge, is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae, also known as long-jawed orb weavers. Its native range stretches from India to the Philippines and Sulawesi. Individuals of this species have silvery or golden spots on their abdomen. They are elongated spiders, with long legs and long chelicerae. As orb web weavers, they construct small orb webs that have an open hub, along with only a few, widely spaced radii and spirals. These webs have no signal line and no retreat for the spider. The full web is a large horizontally-positioned orb structure that has a diameter of over one meter. The entire web is often suspended by several long strands of silk connected to nearby branches and leaves. This species can be distinguished from other Leucauge spiders by its pear-shaped abdomen and its unique fourth leg. In addition to the two rows of curved hairs that are characteristic of the Leucauge genus, this fourth leg also has a thick brush of spines that are not present in most other Leucauge species.
