White-spotted Spiky Field Spider

Pararaneus spectator is a species described by Karsch in 1885 as Epeira spectator with a wide global distribution including several countries in Africa and the Middle East. In South Africa, the species has been sampled from six provinces and occurs in eight protected areas at altitudes ranging from 47 to 1,762 m above sea level. Records include locations in Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces, with specific localities such as Grahamstown, Port St. Johns, Edenville, Bronkhorstspruit, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kamberg Nature Reserve, Ndumo Game Reserve, and Kruger National Park.

The species is an orb-web spider with webs made in the field layer. It is commonly sampled with a sweep net from the Grassland, Savanna and Thicket biomes. The species has also been sampled from crops such as maize and strawberries.

The specific epithet "spectator" is derived from Latin meaning "observer" or "watcher".