Argiopes from the USA

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A lot of questions of the type "What spider is this?" concern Argiopes people find in their garden. In the US Argiopes are also called "garden spiders".

These spiders are one of the most handsome spiders we can find. They are large, have a remarkable web and are beautifully colored and not venomous at all.

The spider can be identified by the construction of its web. It is the only spider that makes a zigzag line or a cross of zigzag white web material in its web. The spider hangs, head down, in the hub. By appropriate stimulation the spider vibrates its web vigorously until it becomes an indistinct blur. Males are much smaller than females.

The female spider can be seen making egg sacs. She puts her web-spinning superiority to the use of constructing a perfect egg sac. The egg sac often hangs in plain view in the web or tied nearby to herbs or other objects. She often makes more than one egg sac.

Argiope sp. by Douglas Stephen Kaiser, North Carolina	Argiope aurantia by Andrew Greif, Lake Geneva Wisconsin

Argiope by Eric Fritch, Melbourne, Florida	Argiope by Eric Fritch, Melbourne, Florida

Argiope appensa from Hawaii by Rudi Vracko	Argiope appensa from Maui (Hawaii) by Chris Mohr
This spider can be found in the southern parts of the USA as far as Argentina. Females are up to 12 mm and the males around 4 mm.
Argiope argentata by Tony Cardenas, Florida, USA

Argiope aurantia by Phil van Haaster	Argiope aurantia by Phil van Haaster

Argiope aurantia by Phil van Haaster	Argiope aurantia by Bryan Biggers

Argiope aurantia by Tom Stanford	Argiope aurantia by Chris Woroby

By Neil L. Burstein	Araneus species