Could you help me ID this orbweaver?

[Reluctant Widow Mother]

Last night, I found this girl on a night walk on a hike trail above a canyon in the foothills of California, about an hour's drive east from the valley town of Modesto. The elevation is ~2600 feet. The spider in question had a fatter abdomen than any of my Western black widows (smaller than L. mactans), but more compact legs. She's the largest web-spinning spider I've ever seen around here. She looks a lot like Neoscona crucifera, but the range map for that species doesn't extend into Northern California. There were a few issues with trying to get a good picture: 1) I was having severe back pain and 2) She was skittish. Her position wouldn't allow for a dorsal shot. She kept drawing in her legs for protection and moving rapidly to avoid the light. So, the pics are what they are, sans editing. You can CTRL+ to zoom in, probably, if that will help.





Thanks in advance if you can help me get a proper ID.

 

[birdonfire]

Araneus?

 

[Reluctant Widow Mother]

Araneus?

Possibly. I'm trying to figure out which species of Araneus live in this area. Since we're rural, there aren't a lot of resources on the Internet. Range maps are only helpful if they're up-to-date. For example, I just now learned that fire ants reached our county in 2016, which was news to me. I'm wondering if / when we'll start seeing brown widows. So far, none have been discovered, but I think the temp at lower elevations may be habitable to them.

Gonna look into Araneus today, as time permits.

 

[Jonathan6303]

A. nordmanni perhaps

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Neoscona crucifera..she and the Araneus gemma are common in SoCal around this time of year. Love them!