The male is the upper spider, cleverly on the other side of the web. He can be distinguished from the female by his possession
of black, club-like palps nestled between his front legs.

I am always nervous approaching a woman with a reproductive proposition (seriously, it is easier to be single), but I should take
comfort in the fact that rejection is unlikely to be actually fatal, as is often the case for the male Nephila who hasn't got his lines
worked out - or just happens to catch her after some tradesman has ripped her off.