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The number of emails we've had
from people in the United States trying to identify the
Black and Yellow Argiope or
St Andrew's Cross spider (as we call our
Australian variety) is quite astounding!! I've had a lot of questions about where the Argiopes are going to, as
some people have noticed that theirs has disappeared. Unfortunately this
lovely spider only has a short life span and once she has produced one
or more
(usually no more than 3) brown, papery egg sacs, she will die. The egg
sacs are roughly round in shape and up to 25 mm in diameter; each
contains 300 to 1400 eggs. She attaches her egg sacs to one side of her
web, close to her resting position at the centre. Each female will watch
over her eggs as long as she can, but will die in the first hard frost,
if not before. The eggs hatch in Autumn ( fall), but spiderlings stay in
the sac during winter and emerge in spring. (Milne and Milne 1980,Heiber
1992, Faulkner 1999). The St Andrew's Cross Spider
doesn't have dangerous venom. Its bite causes a mild local pain.
There are also other varieties of Argiopes - The
Banded Argiope and Silver
Argiope being two that have been sent in frequently. There are links
to photos of these and other argiopes below as well. |
