Fitting In

When I spotted a 5.5cm orb web among the rocket flowers I knew that there was a very small spider somewhere about. By peering into places behind anchor points I found her. With a body length of only 5mm she was not easy to see, but isn’t she beautiful? She has the slicked back hair of a native spider and is possibly a cryptic spider (Cryptaranea sp.) because they come in different patterns. Note one back leg is held out to monitor the web for vibrations. She seems to be missing a front leg.