Argiope magnifica

Argiope magnifica is a species of orb web spider found in tropical areas of north-east Queensland, Australia, eastern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.[1] It is commonly known as the magnificent St Andrew's cross spider.[2] This species is similar in size to the sympatric Argiope keyserlingi; females can be distinguished from those of A. keyserlingi via extensive differences in abdominal colouration and patterns. The males of these two species are almost indistinguishable.

Argiope magnifica
Argiope magnifica female dorsal view, Cairns
Ventral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Argiope
Species:
A. magnifica
Binomial name
Argiope magnifica
L. Koch, 1871
Synonyms

Little is known about the biology of Argiope magnifica. However, like most orb-web spiders, males are much smaller than females. Females of this species construct web decorations.[2] As of October 2020, there are 57 records of Argiope magnifica listed in the Atlas of Living Australia.[3]

  • A.magnifica juvenile dorsal
  • A.magnifica juvenile ventral

References
  1. Levi H. W. (1983). "The Orb-Weaver Genera Argiope, Gea, and Neogea from the Western Pacific Region (Araneae: Araneidae, Argiopinae)" (PDF). MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. Harvard University. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  2. Whyte, Robert; Anderson, Greg (2017). A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia. Clayton South Vic. 3169: CSIRO publishing. p. 80. ISBN 9780643107076.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. "Argiope magnifica L. Koch, 1871". Atlas of Living Australia. Ala.org.au. 1871. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
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