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Photo#993546
Large spider found in my girlfriend's pantyhose - Araneus trifolium

Large spider found in my girlfriend's pantyhose - Araneus trifolium
Beluga Lake, Homer, Alaska, USA
August 29, 2014
Size: 2.5 cm across?
I was photographing a large male moose from not very far away, when my girlfriend yelped loudly twice.
I asked her to stop as the moose was showing some obvious disturbance.
She eventually pulled open her pantyhose and drooled/laughed/cried maniacally and asked me to help when she realized that the
'soft lump' she had been feeling through her clothing turned out to be a large, round spider that crawled from the back to the
front of her body via the only passage available. Spider was quickly released unharmed into the grass.

Moved
Moved from ID Request. I agree it is most likely Araneus trifolium. Araneus groenlandicola looks similar, but I don't think it's found in Alaska.

Reminds me of the Shamrock Orbweaver


Hold on to see if the spider experts agree.

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