Question about Black & Yellow Argiope - Argiope aurantia

[Gail]

About a week ago I saw one of these in my front honeysuckle hedge. A female. We live in a neighborhood where the houses are all a stone's throw from each other and the pack of monsters, er, I mean brats, er, sorry, ah, CHILDREN who roam up and down the street catch and kill any unusual insect or spider or hapless snake or toad they find. So I was rather surprised to find this Argiope.

Of course, I brought her in for safe keeping. She made a web in a 10 gallon tank on it's side on my book shelf. She was rather slim when I brought her in, but has been taking a large cricket every day and is getting tremendously fat. My question is this - what is the chance she was already mated when I found her? Will she make a sack if she hasn't mated? I'd hate for her to make a "useless" sack, and if that is the most likely case here, I am going to take her up to a local park where they kids can't get her in the hopes she can find a mate before one of our cold nights takes her. If it's likely she will produce a fertile sack, I was going to keep her well fed and warm, let her make the sack and then take said sack to the local park an allow it to over-winter and hatch there where the spiderlings have the best chance.

Never really observed one of these in captivity for long - absolutely marvelous creatures!

 

[Widowman10]

if it is an adult female, the chances she has mated are fairly high. especially around this time of year.

although i'm not too sure on the habits of this species making infertile sacs, i would venture to guess it's not too high.

i would keep feeding it heavily and i would be fairly certain you'll get a sac in no time. good luck and how bout some pics?!

hopefully that helped, any other questions?

 

[arachyd]

Thank you for keeping it safe. This species is a favorite of mine but I've never kept them. Please let us know what you decide and if you keep it let us know if she was gravid.

 

[Gail]

Thanks for the replies. It's good to hear she most likely did mate. I'll try to get some pictures of her.

I will say this much, she has figured out the whole "captive = easy food and easy food = that big thing that looks in on me" Every time I go to check on her, if she is hungry, she will do a couple of slow motion "push ups" on her web to rock it which, I have learned means "put in a cricket". If she isn't hungry, she will do the super shake on the web for about a minute or two, which I have learned means "leave me alone". She has me well trained already lol.

 

[Widowman10]

if that web shake you're describing is similar to the araneidae "shake" it seems to be a defense mechanism. like if you touch the spider while in the web, it will violently shake back and forth several times. i've even seen some other species do it as well, including L. variolus for example.

either that, or it's the "i'm hungry" shake...

 

[Gail]

Yup - the second shake I described is definitely the defensive type - she really gets going like a crazy thing. But the first one is just a really slow push up sort of thing that does a single flex of the web - odd actually - but every time she does it if I then hand her a crix she grabs it immediately.

If I try to give her a crix when she is in shake it up mode, she won't touch it, even if it tangles in the web and is hanging there when she's done flipping out

 

[Widowman10]

If I try to give her a crix when she is in shake it up mode, she won't touch it, even if it tangles in the web and is hanging there when she's done flipping out

i don't doubt that she's prob wishin it would go away!!

 

[Violet]

Do Argiope aurantia only live for one season, mate, lay an egg sack then die?

 

[David_F]

Do Argiope aurantia only live for one season, mate, lay an egg sack then die?

It seems that is how it works. Never kept track too closely though.

Dammit, Gail. Now you've got me wanting to bring home the female A. aurantia that's been hanging out at work. She took up residence about three weeks ago and is getting huge. I mentioned it to a guy I work with and he agreed that if she stays much longer someone will end up messing with her or killing her.

That settles it. Tomorrow she comes home with me and finds a new home in the flower garden.

Good luck with your girl. Why not keep any sacs she lays near so that you have more to enjoy next year? Set up mines or something to keep the local hoodlums away.

 

[Gail]

Sorry Dave, didn't mean to start something

Believe it or not, I just found a second one, this time in my gigantic peony bush which is close to the house - aka - the kids won't get it because they know better than to actually come into my yard itself - front hedge by road is one thing, but the yard, another entirely lol. I gave her a crix since she seems a bit thin.

The one I brought in must have known I wanted to photo her. She has moved out of her web, to the back of the cage in an upper corner. I think she may be getting ready to make a sack as she seems to be weaving some odd thing back there.