Argiope versicolor

Argiope versicolor, the multi-coloured Saint Andrew's cross spider,[3][4] is a species of orb-weaver spider found mostly in Southeast Asia, from China to Indonesia (Java).[5][6]

Argiope versicolor
Female in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Argiope
Species:
A. versicolor
Binomial name
Argiope versicolor
(Doleschall, 1859)
Synonyms[1][2]

Epeira versicolor Doleschall, 1859

Description

Argiope versicolor is a colorful spider. The female's cephalothorax is covered by silvery hair. Its abdomen is pentagonal in shape with white, yellow, red, dark bands dorsally, and two longitudinal yellow stripes ventrally. The dark bands are dotted with white. The legs are orange with dark bands. She usually sits head down in the centre of the web, with legs held spread-eagle in an 'X' shape reminiscent of St. Andrew's Cross.

The male is smaller and duller than the female, and brown and cream coloured.[7]

Biology

Like other members of the genus, females sometimes decorate their web with a zig-zag stabilimentum of white silk,[8] which varies in shape from discoid in juveniles to cruciform in mature females.[9] The stabilimentum may be association with predator-avoidance behaviours.[10]

Male webs are not decorated by zig-zag white bands.[7][9]

References
  1. "Argiope versicolor (Doleschall, 1859)". wsc.nmbe.ch. NMBE - World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  2. Doleschall, L. (1859). Tweede Bijdrage tot de kennis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel. Acta Societatis Scientiarum Indica-Neerlandica 5: 1-60.
  3. Ng, P. K. L.; Corlett, R.; Tan, H. T. W. (2011). Singapore biodiversity : an encyclopedia of the natural environment and sustainable development. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet in association with Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. ISBN 9789814260084.
  4. "Multi Coloured St Andrew's Cross Spider". Encyclopedia of Life.
  5. Discover Life
  6. "Argiope versicolor (Doleschall, 1859)". Natural History Museum of Bern. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  7. "Multi-Coloured St Andrew's Cross Spider". Science Centre Singapore. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  8. Seah, Wee Khee; Li, Daiqin (2002). Stabilimentum variations in Argiope versicolor (Araneae: Araneidae) from Singapore. 258(4). Journal of Zoology. pp. 531–540.
  9. "Webs and forms of stabilimenta of Argiope versicolor". PubMed. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  10. Li, Daiqin; Kok, Lai Mun; Seah, Wee Khee; Lim, Matthew L. M. (2003). Age-Dependent Stabilimentum-Associated Predator Avoidance Behaviours in Orb-Weaving Spiders. 140(8/9). Behaviour. pp. 39–41.
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