ID unknown orb weaver

[Skypainter]

I have seen several of these impressive orb weavers here in Central Texas. Their green, brown, and white colors blend in perfectly with lichen covered branches. They are big, often exceeding 2 inches in legspan. Can anyone out there identify the species?


Mature Male

Big Female

 

[cacoseraph]

i can't see the pics at work, but it sounds similar to something that Galapoheros posted about like ~1 year ago. he lives in centralish TX, too


i almost want to say lichen is in the common name. i will search
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=66254&highlight=lichen
i couldn't get the thread to load at work =P


edit1: next time someone tells me i have a bad memory i am going to point them to a thread like this =P

edit2: oh yeah, gala's threads have busted img links in them sometimes and it seems to throw my comp into a tizzy. i will try to disable images and get a species or common name from that thread

edit3:
Araneus bicentenarius
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Araneus+bicentenarius&gbv=2

 

[Skypainter]

Araneus bicentenarius
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Araneus+bicentenarius&gbv=2[/QUOTE]

Hey, thanks!

 

[cacoseraph]

hehehe, i am the master of the nolooky ID's!!!!!