I found this spider just outside my front door. It stayed there for a few days while it was raining and then disappeared again. It had a very messy web, more like a retreat web.
It looks just like a daddy long legs, but its body is a striking gold with black markings. It is the same size as a daddy long legs too, but I can't find anything about gold species online.
I'm in Marrickville in Sydney, Australia and have never seen a spider like that before!
Would like to see a clearer close-up, especially of the eye pattern - there are species in at least two families (Tetragnathidae and Theridiidae) that can have an appearance similar to this specimen....
This spider appears to be Leucauge granulata (family Tetragnathidae). A common name for this spider is "silver orb weaver".
This spider makes horizontal orb webs, often at a slight angle. The orb web may have a network of "messy" silk threads around it. These spiders can rebuild their orb webs several times a day. When threatened, the spider rushes to an edge of its web.
