In these photos you see three different examples of Argiope sp. that is common to North Central Texas. All are females because of their large size. The photograph above shows an Argiope in the center of her dew-covered web. Notice how large the web is relative to the 3 inch spider (leg tip to leg tip). She is also located in the center of her web which is characteristic of the genus Argiope. The round web is made by members of the Araneidae family, or Orb-
Weavers. Argiope spiders are one of the biggest spiders that can be found in Texas.

The picture below shows a different Argiope sp., on her web, up close. Note the markings on the abdomen and the black and yellow legs.

The last photograph shows another Argiope sp. perched on her refuge in the center of her web and the zig-zag silk structure known as the stabilimentum. A discussion of its function is found in Wikipedia here.

As in much of science, there are puzzles, and lots of conjecture about how to solve them. I wonder if stabilimenta serve more than one of the functions listed in the Wikipedia article in the link above. You may also wish to read the research paper of Todd Blackledge and John Wenzel in Behavioral Ecology found here that discusses some interesting findings. Maybe you will be the researcher who answers this question.

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In the picture above, an Argiope sp. spider is biting a housefly that blundered into its snare. Argiope belongs to Araneidae, the family of orb-weaving spiders. The members of the genus Argiope are large spiders that build large, circular webs in vegetation where flying insects can become caught in their traps. The members of this genus are generally found in the center of their web and are active in the daytime. Because of this, lots of people have become aquainted with these spiders.

In the picture below, the Argiope finishes wrapping its prey for storage. The venom injected earlier not only kills the insect but also digests its insides into a liquid the spider will consume. After wrapping its prey, the spider hangs it near the center of the web and returns to its spot nearby where it will wait for more insects to drop by for dinner.

The post “Come Into My Parlor” Said The Spider To The Fly appeared first on GJM Nature Media.