Argiope ID question

[Code Monkey]

Argiope aurantica is very common around here. Less common is this type of Argiope. Is this just a less common color morph of aurantica, or is this a different species?

You can't see it in these pics, but the abdomen has an almost metallic irridescence to it, very attractive spiders (and while my wife doesn't know it yet, this season's free range spider project )

First, a ventral shot:

 

[Code Monkey]

And this is her after she settled down on my wall. I tried getting pics of her against a darker background but I was getting very little cooperation :

 

[Code Monkey]

And for the heck of it, here's a shot of a very interesting looking Araneus sp. male I saw while out looking for the above Argiope tonight. He was *really* uncooperative about being photographed. This was the best I could do.

He's been released to go find himself a lady friend:

 

[Jakob]

Definitely not A. aurantia (it's aurantia not aurantica). Aurantia has a lot more black to it's abdomen than the one in your pictures. I'm pretty sure that what you have there is A. trifasciata because:

#1: It has 10 to 12 black lines on the dorsal part of the abdomen, which are slightly faded in your case, but should show up more next time it molts.

#2: The ventral part of the abdomen has the pair of yellow marks running down it.

#3: The carapace looks exactly like A. trifasciata!

Jake

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by JakeRocks
Definitely not A. aurantia (it's aurantia not aurantica).

Whoops! The really sad thing is I spelled it right just last month when I ID'd one for Holley, another brain cell bit the dust between then and now :8o
I didn't figure it was aurantia but since I've been wrong before about color morphs, I wanted to check if anyone knew better than my guessing.

Thanks a lot for the ID.

EDIT: Oh yeah, since you asked in another thread: my name is Chip.

 

[Jakob]

No problem

Jake

 

[chuck]

EDIT: Oh yeah, since you asked in another thread: my name is Chip. [/B]

no wonder you seem to have a "Chip" on your shoulder ;P

but more amazing is that you had a questions

awesome pics, are they lethal?

 

[Cooper]

What is your full name?

 

[Valael]

Argiope, as far as I know, are pretty much harmless.

When we lived in the Azores, we had TONS..more spiders than I've ever seen..

They were larger ones, too. I'd guess between 2 and 3 inches.

Always seemed very docile (Although, I wasn't big into spiders back then.) We would go to everyone elses yard, catch them, and release them into ours.

Sometimes, we'd fully enclose them in our hands (Stupidly, but it's okay, we were young. Stupidity is acceptable.) like you would a cricket or something. Never once got bit.




I finally found my first Argiope after living here for 3 years and...well..released it into the house.

Made a few webs, molted once, and died shortly after. No idea why. Didn't seem like a male to me. Pedipals weren't boxing-glove-like.

Oh well. Now that I know they're in Southern Illinois, maybe I can find some more. What's the best place to look for them, anyways? Forested areas? open fields?

 

[superkillers]

Hi
your second little spider looks like Zygiella x-notata