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Corn Spider (female)
Argiope aurantia
42.7582, -76.8965
Field Notes
Description:
Large spider with distinct black and yellow markings on it's abdomen, with a mostly white cephalothorax. Orange on the inner parts of it's legs, black on the outer parts. Web is rather unique; their web has a thick zig-zag pattern (called a stabilimentum) straight down the middle of it, and is usually built somewhere between 2-8 feet off of the ground. Despite its "warning colors", it is harmless to most humans, exceptions being those with a specific allergy to its bite.
Habitat:
Sunny areas near open fields; any place with tall plants it can securely anchor a large web to. May also decide to build webs in the eaves of houses.
Notes:
Corn spiders are also commonly known as "writing spiders" or simply "black and yellow garden spiders". Males and females differ in their coloring, markings, and sizes; a female is shown here. Males are brown, smaller, have thinner abdomens and longer legs. Once a web is built they try to remain in that spot for the entire summer.
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