Encyosaccus sexmaculatus, orb-weaver (2)

photo: scott_speed via http://otvet.mail.ru

Encyosaccus sexmaculatus, orb-weaver (3)

photo: Karl via whatsthatbug.com

Habitat: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil
Status: Not Listed

It’s not a Mario party without some Koopa shells! Good thing we have this amazingly cool Orb-weaver spider (Encyosaccus sexmaculatus) to bring along! It looks just like those red shells you use to blast Mario-karters out of the way, doesn’t it? God those things were the bane of my existence…

This tiny, rare, and oh-so-cute spider (a phrase I don’t use too often) is native to the upper Amazonian basin of Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. The bright orange coloration of the orb-weaver suggests that it might be poisonous, or at the very least tastes pretty yucky. There are no records of it having a venomous bite or anything like that. In fact, there are very few photos and little information on this bizarre spider.

Maybe they’re being used on the Koopa shell black market…

Encyosaccus sexmaculatus, orb-weaver (1)

photo: Asser via arachnoboards.com