| Silver Argiope (Argiope argentata (Fabricius, 1775)) |
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Scientific name: Argiope argentata (Fabricius, 1775) Common name: Silver Argiope French name: Argiope argentée Order: Araneae Family: Argiopidae Size: Females' body can reach 14 mm, males' body does not exceed 4 mm. Biotope: Bushes, gardens, cactus. Silver Argiopes prefer warm and dry habitats. Web: Large orb web located between 50 cm and 1 metre from the ground. There can be four zigzag stabilimentum drawing a large X-shape. Like all other spiders of the same genus, the Silver Argiope is often observed at the centre of its web. Observation period: Geographic area: South of the United States, Central America, South America south to Argentina, the Caribbean. |
The Silver Argiope got its common name from the silvery colour of the hairy females' cephalothorax. The front half of the abdomen is also white. The back half is brown, orange or reddish with white spots. There are two lobes on each side. The under side of the body is dark brown with a yellow or white cross stripe. The legs are ringed with pale and dark. Males' cephalothorax is yellowish brown and shows two dark longitudinal bands. The abdomen is whitish with two brown longitudinal bands. There are no lobes on the sides. |
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I have shot this picture among a small area of grasses next to Communal Hut on the Track of Sainte Élie. I had just spent my first night in a hammock (I slept very well). This spider is rather nice. |
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I allowed myself to bend some stems of grass to get a more uniform background. The size, the colour, the shape of the abdomen with lobes at the back indicate one female. |
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Under side view. |
André Bon March 2014