Took this photo outside my office today and was wondering what it is? Around 9cm across so not a small specimen.

This spider belongs to the "golden silk orb weavers", genus Nephila. There are several species found in Thailand. Your specimen is a female, the males are tiny.

Erwin

This spider belongs to the "golden silk orb weavers", genus Nephila. There are several species found in Thailand. Your specimen is a female, the males are tiny.

Thanks. You are spot on. This site shows an identical image around 2/3 of the way down the page.

Seems our secretary, who was wondering what I was photographing, may have been wrong about it biting/stinging. Her words 'not afraid of it'.

The venom of the golden silk orb-weaver is potent but not lethal to humans. It has a neurotoxic effect similar to that of the black widow spider; however, its venom is not nearly as powerful. The bite causes local pain, redness, and blisters that normally disappear within a 24-hour interval. In rare cases, it might trigger allergic reactions and result in respiratory troubles (in asthmatics) or fast-acting involuntary muscle cramps. As the genus possesses relatively strong chelicerae, the bite could leave a scar on hard tissue (such as fingers).

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