| Latin Name | Observation date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Macracantha hasselti | January 05 2025 | Buket Alue Puteh, Aceh, Indonesia |
On January 5 2025 I found a beautiful creature in my coffee garden, when checking the coffee garden on a sunny morning my eyes fell on a small shiny object near the branch of the coffee tree, after getting closer I realized that it was a spider with The body shape is very unique and striking, and this is the Macracantha hasselti spider, a species of long-horned spider with a scary appearance.
The Macracantha hasselti spider has a very distinctive body shape, its body is bright yellow with an attractive black pattern, the back of this spider is decorated with long horns that curve like a bow, these horns are the main characteristic of the Macracantha hasselti spider and function as a means of defense against predators, when I approached it closer to observe and the spider appeared calm as if aware of its unique protection.
The presence of the Macracantha hasselti spider in the coffee tree has made me more interested in studying its role in the ecosystem. As far as I know about the world of spiders, Macracantha hasselti is known as one of the species known as a natural predator in their environment, usually they make webs using large size and strong to catch small insects such as butterflies, flies, and several other types of insect pests, their presence in the coffee garden provides great benefits for me, the presence of Macracantha hasselti can help control insect populations that might damage coffee plants.
Even though they look scary because of their unique shape, these spiders are actually not dangerous to humans, they often avoid direct contact and their fangs are too small to penetrate the skin. As a nature lover, I feel lucky to be able to see them directly and be a guardian figure. my coffee garden from insect pests, and hopefully the Macracantha hasselti spider can survive and reproduce in nature which is full of challenges.
while observing Macracantha hasselti I also realized the importance of maintaining the balance of the ecosystem in my garden, with the presence of the Macracantha hasselti spider I have gained a natural ally to fight insect pests, after spending some time capturing this spider through my cell phone camera I decided not to disturb it any further for a long time, I want to let it continue its work of maintaining the ecosystem of my coffee plantation, through small spiders I understand that even creatures as small as spiders have an important role in maintaining natural harmony, how about us?
| Camera used | smartphone |
|---|---|
| Lens | - |
| Photography | Macracantha hasselti |
| Location | Buket Alue Puteh |
| Photographer | @lightofhope |
| Link to original | community |
|---|---|
| Link | https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/257917424 |
| Latitude Longitude | Map | |
|---|---|---|
| =5.080479 | =97.46383 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=5.0804793232&mlon=97.4638302997 |
