---
title: "Christmas Jewel Spider"
description: "Austracantha minax — Insecten en spinnen. Austracantha is a genus of spider with a single species, Austracantha minax, commonly known as the jewel spider or the Christmas spider."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/christmas-jewel-spider
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Christmas Jewel Spider

> Austracantha minax — Insecten en spinnen. Austracantha is a genus of spider with a single species, Austracantha minax, commonly known as the jewel spider or the Christmas spider.

- Scientific name: *Austracantha minax*
- Category: `insects` (Insecten en spinnen)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 8000
- Wikidata: [Q590519](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q590519)
- iNaturalist taxon: [196689](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/196689)

## Names

- en: Christmas Jewel Spider
- es: Austracantha

## Countries with the most observations

AU (7897)

## Summary

Austracantha is a genus of spider with a single species, Austracantha minax, commonly known as the jewel spider or the Christmas spider. It is a member of the family Araneidae (the orb-weavers) and is endemic to Australia. They are relatively small spiders, reaching a maximum total body length of only around 12 mm (0.47 in) for females, and 5 mm (0.20 in) for males. Their abdomen has six distinctive projections ("spines") that makes them easy to identify. They are predominantly a shiny black, with variable white, yellow, and orange patterns. Melanistic forms also occur during autumn. They are facultatively gregarious…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austracantha

## Photo

![Christmas Jewel Spider](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/christmas-jewel-spider/medium.jpg)

Photo: Cowirrie · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/340995102

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/christmas-jewel-spider?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).