I got one of those living on my kumquat tree!
I apologise for the poor quality of the pictures; it was a bit too sunny, and I had to use the zoom (I didn’t want to disturb the spider). I’m fairly certain that it’s in the genus Argiope, just not quite sure of the species.
I was able to measure the spider, by taking a pic with a pen in the same plane. Rough dimensions:
- body, length: 15mm
- body, width: 8mm
- backmost leg: 23mm
And due to better lighting I also managed to take a clearer picture:
Sadly the position doesn’t let me take an upside view pic. I think that she wants belly rubs.
@tobogganablaze@lemmus.org kindly identified it already (Argiope argentata), so I’m sharing this mostly as fluff.
Definitly Argiope. What’s the geographic location?
Curitiba city. South America, Cfb climate.
The genus is known locally as “signature spiders” (aranha-assinatura), but that’s basically any spider doing that anti-bird web pattern. It’s yellower than the pic implies, colours look a lot like A. bruennichi, but those side “lobes” are quite different.
Behaviour-wise it’s surprisingly chill. It doesn’t run away like brown recluses and wolf spiders do, nor threatens you like wandering spiders (all three are native here).
The web is clearly strong enough to slightly bend one of the kumquat’s branches.
I also got a pic of the spider having a meal. Perhaps the “web bedroll” around the prey might be useful for ID.
That’s Argiope argentata.
Cool - thanks for identifying it!
I did look a few pics of A. argentata, but I didn’t associate them because of the colour.
Nice! How big do you think it is?
I think that its body is around 2cm long? I’m eyeballing it, but it’s quite large.
I’ll give you something a more precise measurement today. If it is the A. bruennichi then it’s certainly a female.
If it is the A. bruennichi then it’s certainly a female.
You’re going to have to do a post if it lays eggs… Also is it dangerous to humans?
Really nice photos btw (and jealous that you have a kumquat tree)
The species is actually A. argentata acc. to another poster, but still likely a female, so I’ll definitively post pics if she lays eggs. (She’s now Kumoko.) They aren’t dangerous - acc. to some websearch they only bite if hurt, there are plenty pics of people with them on hands, and even if they do bite the venom is comparable to a bee sting*.
and jealous that you have a kumquat tree
It’s a dwarf nagami variety, so a bit more like a bush:
\*I wish that I could say the same of these:
Gaucho spiders. Native and fairly common in my homeland. Strong venom and a tendency to hide inside wardrobes, their only saving grace is to be more scared of humans than we are of them.It’s a dwarf nagami variety, so a bit more like a bush
Don’t be so modest, I bet it’s really lovely (your new spider seems to agree), and tasty (assuming the fruits are edible)
… a tendency to hide inside wardrobes
Lol
