Argiope aurantia yellow garden spider or McKinley spider

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Yellow Garden or McKinley spider

Taxonomy:

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Arachnida
  • Order: Araneae
  • Family: Araneidae
  • Genus: Argiope
  • Species: Argiope aurantia

Common Names:

  • North America: Yellow Garden Spider, Writing Spider, Black and Yellow Argiope
  • Midwest USA: Corn Spider
  • Hawaii: Banana Spider
  • Southeastern USA: McKinley Spider

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Description:

  • Size: Female spiders range from 19 to 28 mm in body length, while males are significantly smaller, ranging from 5 to 9 mm.
  • Coloration: Females have a striking black and yellow pattern on their abdomen with a predominantly silver cephalothorax. Males are less colorful, usually brownish or grayish.
  • Web: The web is large, circular, and often contains a zigzag pattern of silk known as a stabilimentum.
  • Behavior: These spiders are diurnal and are often observed sitting at the center of their webs during the daytime. They exhibit a unique defense mechanism of oscillating the web when disturbed.

Known Range:

  • Geographic Distribution: Widely distributed across North America, from southern Canada to Central America. Common in the continental United States.
  • Habitat: Prefers sunny areas with vegetation such as gardens, fields, meadows, and edges of woodlands. They are commonly found in human-altered landscapes like farms and suburban gardens.

Care Requirements:

  • Habitat Setup: If kept in captivity, provide a large enclosure to accommodate the spider’s expansive web. Ensure good ventilation and vertical space for web-building.
  • Temperature & Humidity: Maintain a temperature range between 70-90°F (21-32°C) with moderate humidity levels. Avoid overly dry conditions.
  • Feeding: Feed primarily on flying insects such as flies, grasshoppers, and moths. In captivity, provide a diet of appropriately-sized crickets or other feeder insects.
  • Water: Provide a small, shallow dish of water or mist the enclosure lightly to maintain humidity and hydration.
  • Handling: Minimal handling is recommended as they are not aggressive but may bite if provoked. Observe and appreciate them primarily as display animals.

Additional Notes:

  • Reproduction: Mating occurs in late summer or early autumn. Males often build small webs near females and engage in courtship behaviors. Females lay egg sacs containing hundreds of eggs, which they attach to their web or nearby vegetation.
  • Lifecycle: After hatching, spiderlings disperse via a behavior known as ballooning, where they use silk threads to catch the wind and travel to new locations.
  • Ecological Role: Argiope aurantia plays a crucial role in controlling insect populations, making them beneficial to gardens and agricultural areas.
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