The banded garden is a species of common spiders found in two subspecies, Argiope trifasciata deserticola, and Argiope trifasciata kauaiensis. These spiders cannot withstand very cold temperatures and are normally not seen during winter, when they often die out.
Size: Females can be 13-14.5 mm when fully extended, while the males are about one-third smaller than the former.
Color: The dorsal side of the spider is covered with silvery setae with several black lines across the body. Their legs are bright yellowish-brown along with darker rings.
Other Characteristic Features: A yellow banding can be seen in some specimens, while the others lack it.
The eggs are protected inside an egg sac that the mother spider attaches to vegetation. The general shape of the sac is like a kettle drum. This is an overwintering stage and hatches during around springtime.
As the eggs hatch, the spiderlings usually disperse by ballooning with wind currents. The mother takes care of the young ones until they grow up and are able to find food for themselves. They capture prey items by snaring them in sticky webs, and when stuck, they paralyzing them with venom injected through the fangs.
These spiders have fangs and use their poison only to capture prey. It is not at all fatal to humans. Even if an individual is bitten, the symptoms only involve local rashes to mild redness.
| Other Names | Banded orb-weaving spider |
| Lifespan | Around a year |
| Distribution | around the world, except in high elevations |
| Habitat | Gardens, amidst tall grasses, shrubs and average to densely vegetated regions |
| Common predators | Prey birds, lizards, and larger spiders |
| Diet | Mostly insects such as wasps and grasshoppers |
Image Credits: Static.inaturalist.org, I.pinimg.com, Plants-animals-northeast-colorado.com, Farm8.staticflickr.com, Cirrusimage.com,
Bugwoodcloud.org, Fcmdsc.files.wordpress.com, Greglasley.com
The banded garden is a species of common spiders found in two subspecies, Argiope trifasciata deserticola, and Argiope trifasciata kauaiensis. These spiders cannot withstand very cold temperatures and are normally not seen during winter, when they often die out.
Size: Females can be 13-14.5 mm when fully extended, while the males are about one-third smaller than the former.
Color: The dorsal side of the spider is covered with silvery setae with several black lines across the body. Their legs are bright yellowish-brown along with darker rings.
Other Characteristic Features: A yellow banding can be seen in some specimens, while the others lack it.
The eggs are protected inside an egg sac that the mother spider attaches to vegetation. The general shape of the sac is like a kettle drum. This is an overwintering stage and hatches during around springtime.
As the eggs hatch, the spiderlings usually disperse by ballooning with wind currents. The mother takes care of the young ones until they grow up and are able to find food for themselves. They capture prey items by snaring them in sticky webs, and when stuck, they paralyzing them with venom injected through the fangs.
These spiders have fangs and use their poison only to capture prey. It is not at all fatal to humans. Even if an individual is bitten, the symptoms only involve local rashes to mild redness.
| Other Names | Banded orb-weaving spider |
| Lifespan | Around a year |
| Distribution | around the world, except in high elevations |
| Habitat | Gardens, amidst tall grasses, shrubs and average to densely vegetated regions |
| Common predators | Prey birds, lizards, and larger spiders |
| Diet | Mostly insects such as wasps and grasshoppers |
Image Credits: Static.inaturalist.org, I.pinimg.com, Plants-animals-northeast-colorado.com, Farm8.staticflickr.com, Cirrusimage.com,
Bugwoodcloud.org, Fcmdsc.files.wordpress.com, Greglasley.com
Roy Williams on April 14, 2019.
Dr. Watuwa James
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