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Yellow Garden Spider
Argiope aurantia
39.8865, -86.1515
Field Notes
Description:
Female Argiope aurantia (garden spider). Her legs are a tan/brown color that end in black. Her abdomen is black with yellow and white markings. A grey tuft of fur covers the top of her thorax. Female garden spiders generally range in size between 19-28 mm (0.75in-1.10 in).
Female garden spiders are much larger than their male counterparts and display more color and markings as well. Male garden spiders are brown with narrow abdomens and their size only ranges between 5-9 mm (.20-.35 in)
Habitat:
Argiope aurantia are common across southern Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. I found this girl, who was in the middle of a meal, hiding in a thick growth of canna lily.
The webs of female garden spiders are circular and often display a zigzag of silk, called a stabilimentum, down the center.
Notes:
Argiope spiders are not aggressive and keep to themselves, but they may bite out of defense if grabbed or disturbed. While they do contain venom it is not known to be toxic to humans.
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