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Backobourkia brouni
Brouns marbled orb-weaver, or Backobourkia brouni also often referred to as its syonym "Backobourkia brounii.", is a spider native to New Zealand and Australia. It is on of three species within the genus Backobourkia, its closest relative being Backobourkia heroine. B. brouni is a part of the family Araneidae or Orb web spiders, which are defined by their tendency to create wheel shaped webs in openinings between tree’s and shrubs in order to catch their prey.

Description
Orb web spiders are known for highly variable intraspecific colour patterns, often with different colouration between males and females. B. brouni exhibits sexual dimorphism with females being larger than males. Female specimens have been recorded at 11-18mm in length while males measure around 8mm. The have 8 eyes with lateral eyes being well separated from their median eyes. They can be identified by the shape of their abdomen which has a single prominence in the rear and two on the front giving it a triangular shape.

Distribution
B. brouni is found mai nly in eastern parts of Australia and throughout New Zealand, its first recorded appearance in New Zealand being in 1980. DNA analysis suggests that B. brouni likely ballooned to New Zealand, as dispersal on a strand of silk is common within the Araneidae family.

Interactions
B. brouni is a spider which uses a web in conjunction with wrap attacks to subdue its prey. Orb web spiders spin vertical orb webs in spaces among vegetation, scrub, or in native forest. Characteristically they will take their prey away from the place of capture to a web hub or spider retreat. Wasps Vespula germanica, and Vespula vulgaris are known predators of Orb web spiders. Pison spinolae, or the Mason wasp is a parasitoid of orb web spiders, which will provide an orb web spider as food for her emerging larvae.

Further information
The genus name “Backobourkia” is derived from the Australian expression ‘Back’o’Bourke’ meaning middle of nowhere. This is in reference to the remote town of Bourke, New South Wales, and comments of the spider’s distribution. In the past B. brouni specimens have been identified as "Eriphora heroine."