Argiope

Wasp spider Argiope bruennichi, copyright Cinnamologus.

Belongs within: Araneidae.

Argiope, St Andrew's cross spiders, is a genus of often large and colourfully striped orbweb spiders that derive their vernacular name from the construction by some species of webs with an X-shaped stabilimentum radiating from the centre. The effect is enhanced by the spider sitting with the front and rear pairs of legs each closely held and aligned with the arms of the stabilimentum. Conversely, the Palaearctic species A. bruennichi is known as the 'wasp spider' in reference to its bright yellow and black coloration.

Characters (from Doleschall 1859, as section Argyopes of genus Epeira): Usually furry, ornately coloured. Cephalothorax very flat, anteriorly narrow. Anterior median eyes nearer to each other than are the posterior median eyes. Abdomen ovoid, flat-topped, angular. Legs moderately prolonged, radially extended at rest.

<==Argiope Audouin 1826 [Argiopinae] PVD10
    |--*A. lobata (Pallas 1772) [=Aranea lobata] G76
    |--A. aemula K92
    |--A. aetherea (Walck. 1837) [=Epeira aetherea] R13
    |--A. amoena Koch 1878 B11
    |--A. anasuja Thor. 1887 K92
    |--A. appensa E95
    |--A. argentata (Fabricius 1775) GA11
    |--A. aurantia Lucas 1833 B11
    |--A. aurocincta E95
    |--A. australis JD-S07
    |--A. avara Thorell 1868 S99
    |--A. bruennichi (Scopoli 1772) G76
    |--A. catenulata (Doleschall 1859) K92, D59 [=Epeira catenulata K92]
    |--A. crenulata (Doleschall 1857) [=Epeira (Argyopes) crenulata] D57
    |--A. curvipes Koch & Keyserling 1886 KK90
    |--A. cuspidata E95
    |--A. fasciata (Hentz 1847) [=Epeira fasciata; incl. A. plana Koch 1867, A. transversa Emerton 1884] KK90
    |--A. flavipalpis E95
    |--A. florida E95
    |--A. katherina Levi 1983 GA11
    |--A. keyserlingi (Karsch 1878) GA11
    |--A. leopardina Pocock 1898 R13
    |--A. luzona (Walckenaer 1841) AM11
    |--A. mammillaris (Stoliczka 1869) [=Epeira (Argyopes) mammillaris] S69
    |--A. minuta Karsch 1879 AM11
    |--A. ocyaloides E95
    |--A. ornata Simon 1884 K92
    |--A. pelewensis Koch & Keyserling 1886 KK90
    |--A. picta (K. 1871) [incl. A. principalis K. 1871] R13
    |--A. plagiata Karsch 1892 K92
    |--A. protensa Koch 1872 PVD10
    |--A. pulchella Thorell 1881 AM11
    |--A. radon Levi 1983 GA11
    |--A. reinwardtii (Doleschall 1859) [=Epeira reinwardtii; incl. A. doleschallii Thorell 1873] T94
    |--A. savignyi Levi 1968 B11
    |--A. stellata (Stoliczka 1869) [=Epeira (Argyopes) stellata] S69
    |--A. striata Doleschall 1857) [=Epeira (Argyopes) striata] D57
    |--A. taprobanica Thor. 1887 K92
    |--A. trifasciata (Forskål 1775) SC97 [=Epeira (Argyopes) trifasciata D57]
    |--A. trivittata Karsch 1892 K92
    `--A. versicolor (Doleschall 1859) [=Epeira versicolor] K92

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[AM11] Araujo, D., V. F. Mattos, A. M. Giroti, M. G. Kraeski, L. S. Carvalho & A. D. Brescovit. 2011. Cytogenetical characterization of six orb-weaver species and review of cytogenetical data for Araneidae. Journal of Arachnology 39 (2): 337–344.

[B11] Blackledge, T. A. 2011. Prey capture in orb weaving spiders: are we using the best metric? Journal of Arachnology 39 (2): 205–210.

[D57] Doleschall, C. L. 1857. Bijdrage tot de kennis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië, series 3, 3 (5–6): 399–434, pls 1–2.

[D59] Doleschall, C. L. 1859. Tweede Bijdrage tot de kennis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel. Verhandelingen der Natuurkundige Vereeniging in Nederlandsch Indie [Acta Societatis Scientiarum Indo-Neêrlandicae] 5 (5): 1–60, pls 1–18.

[E95] Elgar, M. A. 1995. The duration of copulation in spiders: comparative patterns. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 52: 1–11.

[G76] Grasshoff, M. 1976. Zur Taxonomie und Nomenklatur mitteleuropäischer Radnetzspinnen der Familie Araneidae (Arachnida: Araneae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 57 (1–3): 143–154.

[GA11] Gregorič, M., I. Agnarsson, T. A. Blackledge & M. Kuntner. 2011. Darwin's bark spider: giant prey in giant orb webs (Caerostris darwini, Araneae: Araneidae)? Journal of Arachnology 39 (2): 287–295.

[JD-S07] Jocqué, R., & A. S. Dippenaar-Schoeman. 2007. Spider Families of the World. Royal Museum for Central Africa: Tervuren (Belgium).

[K92] Karsch, F. 1892. Arachniden von Ceylon und von Minikoy gesammelt von den Herren Doctoren P. und F. Sarasin. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift 36 (2): 267–310.

[KK90] Koch, L., & E. Keyserling. 1884–1890. Die Arachniden Australiens nach der Natur beschrieben und abgebildet vol. 2. Bauer & Raspe: Nürnberg.

[PVD10] Paquin, P., C. J. Vink & N. Dupérré. 2010. Spiders of New Zealand: annotated family key and species list. Manaaki Whenua Press: Lincoln (New Zealand).

[R13] Rainbow, W. J. 1913. Arachnida from the Solomon Islands. Records of the Australian Museum 10 (1): 1–16.

[SC97] Scharff, N., & J. A. Coddington. 1997. A phylogenetic analysis of the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 120: 355–434.

[S99] Simon, E. 1899. Ergebnisse einer Reise nach dem Pacific (Schauinsland 1896–1897. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie un Biologie der Thiere 12 (4): 411–437.

[S69] Stoliczka, F. 1869. Contribution to the knowledge of Indian Arachnoidea. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 38 pt 2 (4): 201–251, pls 18–20.

[T94] Thorell, T. 1894. Förteckning öfver Arachnider från Java och närgränsande öar, insamlade af docenten D:r Carl Aurivillius; jemte beskrifingar å några sydasiatiska och sydamerikanska Spindlar. Bihang till K. Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar 20 pt 4 (4): 1–63.

Last updated: 15 January 2022.