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Signature Spider
Argiope luzona
15.456, 119.92
Field Notes
Description:
Araneidae; Argiope; Argiope luzona (Walckenaer, 1842). This spider gets its common name "Signature Spider" from the zig-zag patterns, on its web, made of thick white silk which looks like writing. This zig-zag is called a Stabilimentum (plural: Stabilimenta) and it reflects ultra-violet light. It has been shown to attract prey to the web. This information is paraphrased from Wikipedia. The spider shown here is a female (the males are extremely small) and must be a juvenile as it is about half the size of others I have spotted. In the side view the spider is seen stinging or already eating a prey item, all wrapped in silk (to prevent its escape while the venom takes effect). The last photo is an enlargement of one section of the Stabilimentum to show how intricately it is made.
Habitat:
This Argiope luzona was spotted on its web constructed on a climbing plant on the trunk of a very old Mango Tree (estimated at more than 100 years old) in the front yard of our rice mill.
Notes:
This Argiope spider gets its species name "luzona" from the Island of Luzon in the Phillipines where it was first documented. It is also where I live. So, this is one of my favourite spiders.
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