A medium to large, slender orb weaver with a silver back or upper surface of the abdomen and a striped green underneath of the abdomen, a long separation between the spinerets and the rear end of the abdomen, found in low vegetation, often grasses, from about 30cm to 2m above the ground in a slanted web inclined at about 15-30 degrees off the horizontal. The female stays in the web during the day. The much smaller male may be found on the outskirts of the web at breeding time. Malcolm Tattersall photographed specimens of Leucauge decorata in May in 2011. These were misidentified by Flickr members of 'Spiders of Australia' as Argiope protensa, a similarly sized and shaped spider, but from a different family, Araneidae, and having a more slender 'tail' to the abdomen, browner or paler legs, a shaggier carapace and a tendency to rest with paired legs. Malcolm persisted with the identification of L. decorata, despite it not being officially recorded as being present in Australia in Norman Platnick's World Spider Catalog. Confirmation of Leucauge came in 2012 with the observation of trichobothria, air sensitive hairs, on leg 4. Mascord's 1980 book includes L. decorata, which the author noted as being common in Queensland around homes in gardens and low shrubs. Some of the spiders he saw may have been the spider we now know as L. granulata, although it seems certain that Leucauge decorata, a spider mainly from the northern hemisphere tropics, is also found in northern Queensland. Malcolm has documented many examples, as has Graeme Cocks, who had his specimens confirmed with DNA. Other NQ specimens in have been photographed by Ed Niewenhuys in Giru and Jim Hackett in Cairns. The Atlas of Living Australia records Leucauge decorata as present in Queensland, one specimen being collected by Dr Robert Raven, another by Ramon Mascord. It is not known whether L. decorata has recently become naturalised in Queensland from Mackay to Cape York, or whether it has been there all along, the latter being more likely, with musuem specimens dating back to 1971. ♀ 12mm ♂ 6mm
- Female, James Cook University, Townsville
- Female, James Cook University, Townsville
- Male, Kingfisher Park, Julatten
- Female, Cairns
- Female, Cairns
- Female, Cairns
- Female from above, Cairns
- Female, Giru NQ
- Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
- Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
- Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
- Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
- Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
- Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
- Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
- Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
- Female, Palmetum
- Female, Ross River, Townsville
Female, James Cook University, Townsville
Female, James Cook University, Townsville
Male, Kingfisher Park, Julatten
This male from Kingfisher Park, Julatten rainforest at about 300m is definitely Leucauge with visible tricobothria on leg IV. Could it be the male L. decorata?
Female, Cairns
Female, Cairns
Female, Cairns
Female from above, Cairns
Female, Giru NQ
The prey is a Dolichopod fly.
Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
Female, Herveys Range, Townsville
Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
Female, Mount Stuart, Townsville
Female, Palmetum
Female, Ross River, Townsville
