The two-spined spider (Poecilopachys australasia) is a small orb-weaving spider from eastern Australia, also established in New Zealand. Adult females are about 7–8 mm long and carry two white, horn-like points on the back of a brightly patterned abdomen. The spider hides under leaves by day, builds a small web at night to catch moths, and eats the web again before morning. It is not considered dangerous to people.
| Scientific name | Poecilopachys australasia (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1833) |
|---|---|
| Family | Araneidae (orb-weaving spiders) |
| Other common name | Enamelled spider (Australia); spelled “twospined spider” in some New Zealand sources |
| Female body length | About 7–8 mm |
| Male | Much smaller than the female, without the two white horns |
| Native range | Eastern Australia, mainly coastal Queensland and New South Wales |
| Introduced to | New Zealand (recorded since the early 1970s) and Samoa |
| Active | At night |
| Main prey | Night-flying insects, especially moths |
| Risk to people | Regarded as harmless |
How to Recognize a Two-Spined Spider
The common name comes from the adult female’s most obvious feature: two white, horn-like points at the rear of the abdomen. Seen from above, the abdomen is rounded and usually patterned in some mix of yellow, olive, cream, red-brown, green and black. The colors vary from one spider to the next, and the Australian Museum notes that this species can change color quickly, possibly to confuse predators. So the exact shade matters much less than the overall shape.
Clues that point toward this species when you use them together:
- Location: eastern Australia, or the North Island and northern South Island of New Zealand.
- Shape: a small, plump, rounded abdomen with exactly two pale horns at the back, rather than a ring of several spines.
- Size: an adult female body about 7–8 mm long, measured without the legs.
- Timing: found resting under a leaf in daytime, or sitting in a small web after dark.
- Plant: often on garden shrubs and citrus trees.
Males look quite different. They are much smaller and lack the horns, so they are easy to overlook and hard to identify from a casual photo.
Where Two-Spined Spiders Live
In Australia, the species is native to the east coast. The World Spider Catalog lists it from Queensland and New South Wales, and the Australian Museum describes it from forests, woodland and heath in coastal parts of those states. It also turns up in suburban gardens, where shrubs and fruit trees give it leafy cover during the day.
The two-spined spider has also crossed the Tasman Sea. Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum, says it has been recorded in New Zealand since the early 1970s and is now fairly common in the upper North Island. From there it has spread south through most of the North Island and into the Nelson region of the South Island. New Zealand sources often mention it on citrus trees, so it is frequently found by people pruning or picking fruit. The World Spider Catalog also lists Samoa as a place where it has been introduced.
A Night-Shift Orb-Weaver
Most people never see this spider, even when it lives in their garden. During the day it sits still on the underside of a leaf, where its compact shape and colors make it hard to spot. After dark it comes out and builds a small orb web, which the Australian Museum describes as horizontal rather than upright. Before morning it eats the web, recycling the silk, and returns to its daytime hiding place.
The web is built mainly to catch night-flying insects, and moths are the prey most often mentioned. Te Papa notes that despite its small size, the spider can take moths and other insects several times its own size. That makes it one of many small predators that help keep garden insect numbers in check. You can read more about that role in our guide to why spiders are important.
The two-spined spider belongs to a group of orb-weavers that specialize in catching moths. A 2019 study of orb-weaver relationships places Poecilopachys with genera such as Cyrtarachne and Pasilobus in a group that builds what researchers call “spanning-thread” webs, and finds that group to be closely related to the bolas spiders. Bolas spiders go further still: instead of a full web, they catch moths with a sticky glue droplet on the end of a single line.
Egg Sacs, Males and Older Names
The egg sac is spindle-shaped: narrow at both ends and wider in the middle. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research in New Zealand includes both the spider and its egg sac in its garden bug identification pages, which can help if you find one on a citrus leaf.
Because males and females look so different, the species has collected several names over the years. The World Spider Catalog now places names such as Cyrtarachne setosa and Poecilopachys bispinosa under P. australasia. You may still see Poecilopachys bispinosa in older Australian field guides; it refers to the same spider.
Is the Two-Spined Spider Dangerous?
No. Te Papa describes the two-spined spider as harmless to humans. It is small, spends the day hidden under leaves and is rarely handled, so encounters usually end with nothing more than a surprise while gardening.
If you are bitten by any small garden spider in Australia, Healthdirect advises washing the area with soap and water and using a wrapped ice pack to ease pain and swelling. See a doctor if the pain is strong, the bite does not settle within a few hours, swelling gets worse after a day or two, or you are worried. For advice about bites and stings, contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 in Australia or the National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766 in New Zealand. In an emergency, call 000 in Australia or 111 in New Zealand. For a wider look at risk, see our spider bite and danger section.
Could It Be a Different Spider?
Several other small, colorful orb-weavers in eastern Australia have spiny or knobbly abdomens. Before settling on Poecilopachys australasia, check more than one feature:
- A spider with more than two spines around the abdomen is probably a different spiny orb-weaver.
- A spider that sits openly in its web in daylight does not match this species’ usual habits.
- A small, dull spider without horns could be a male two-spined spider, but it could also be many other things. Without the female features, a confident identification is difficult.
If you are unsure, our spider identification guide explains how to combine location, shape, web type and behavior. You can also browse more species in our spider types section or read about webs and hunting in spider behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called the two-spined spider?
Because adult females have two white, horn-like points at the back of the abdomen. Males do not have them.
Is the two-spined spider native to New Zealand?
No. It is native to eastern Australia and has been recorded in New Zealand since the early 1970s. It is now well established in much of the North Island and the Nelson region.
Why can’t I find the spider during the day?
It hides under leaves in daylight and only builds its web after dark. It also eats the web before morning, so there is usually nothing left to give it away.
References
- World Spider Catalog. Poecilopachys australasia (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1833). Natural History Museum Bern. wsc.nmbe.ch/species/5153 (accessed October 2026).
- Australian Museum. Two-spined spider. australian.museum
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Two-spined spider (Collections Online topic). collections.tepapa.govt.nz
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. Twospined spider; Twospined spider egg sac. What is this bug? landcareresearch.co.nz
- Scharff, N., Coddington, J. A., Blackledge, T. A., Agnarsson, I., Framenau, V. W., Szűts, T., Hayashi, C. Y. & Dimitrov, D. (2019). Phylogeny of the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae (Araneae: Araneoidea). Cladistics. doi:10.1111/cla.12382
- Diaz, C. Jr. & Long, J. H. Jr. (2022). Behavior and bioadhesives: how bolas spiders, Mastophora hutchinsoni, catch moths. Insects 13: 1166.
- Healthdirect Australia. Spider bites. healthdirect.gov.au
- Queensland Poisons Information Centre. poisonsinfo.health.qld.gov.au
- National Poisons Centre (New Zealand). poisons.co.nz
