![]() However, if this fails then they will drop to the ground.” And Sewlal said that black and yellow garden spiders can make their bodies look even larger: “When disturbed, they will hold onto the web and vibrate it to appear bigger. Males are typically three-quarters of an inch (almost 2 cm) long. Young spiders’ legs are entirely banded.Īccording to Fairfax County Public Schools, female spiders are larger than males, growing up to a 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) long. Males have brown legs with faded black bands. Females have yellowish or reddish legs at the base that fade to black. Its eight eyes are arranged in a trapezoid pattern. The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s Animal Diversity Web (ADW) noted that this spider’s celothorax (smaller, front section of the body) is covered with shiny silver hairs. “They are quite colorful,” said Sewlal, “with a prominent oval abdomen covered in a black and yellow pattern, hence their common name.” Their abdomen is patterned on top with three-to-four bold black and yellow spots and stripes and, on the bottom, mottled black with two vertical yellow stripes. ![]() The species Argiope aurantia has several common names, including black and yellow garden spider, corn spider, writing spider and zipper spider, according to North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. In Latin, aurantia means “overlaid with gold” - a fitting description for this vibrant spider. Taxonomy/classificationĪccording to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), the taxonomy of garden orb-weaver spiders is: Garden spiders will spin webs in plants, in porch overhangs, between trees, and in other outdoor spots. ![]() According to the University of Idaho Extension’s Homeowner Guide to Spiders Around the Home and Yard, garden spiders often sit in the center of the web, and when an insect gets stuck, they quickly wrap the prey in silk and bite it, causing the prey to go still. After the sticky lines of silk are placed, this non-sticky silk is cut away.”įlying insects such as flies, bees, grasshoppers, and others get stuck in the stinky silk. “When the web is being constructed, the spider lays out very thin lines of non-sticky silk when it is making the concentric circles, or radii, and uses this to keep the tension of the web. “There are actually two different types of silk used in web construction,” said Sewlal. ![]()
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