Yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia
(Araneae: Araneidae)

Males and females of this species are similar in appearance except for size (females are larger than males). The anterior body is covered with silver hairs. The abdomen has a notch in the front, and is slightly pointed behind to form a hump on both sides. The abdomen is marked in black and yellow, and sometimes orange. The legs are black in color, with short bands of orange, yellow or red.

After mating, the female produces one or more egg sacs which are then attached to one side of the web near the area where her body rests. The pear-shaped egg sac is brownish in color, papery and pointed near the apex. The sac may contain from 400 to over 1000 eggs. These eggs hatch in either late summer or autumn, but the spiderlings (immatures) do not leave the egg sac until the spring.

The yellow garden spider is found in sunny areas near flowers, tall plants, shrubs, along fences, minimally disturbed grasslands, and around homes throughout the United States, southern Canada, Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica.

This species can kill prey twice its size, and feeds on several types of grasshoppers, honeybees, butterflies, aphids, flies and wasps.

Images

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Adult yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia.
(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)

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Immature yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia.
(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)

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Egg case of the yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia.
(Photographer: Lyle Buss, University of Florida)

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