Garden cross spider (Argiope pulchella)

Garden cross spider (Argiope pulchella) is a spider species in Araneidae, synanthropic, dimorphic where females are larger in size, females build webs and are sometimes accompanied by X-shaped stabiliments while males occupy edges, long legs and prey on various insects.

A. pulchella lives in natural forests, hilly slopes and disturbed habitats including fields, waterways and house yards. The web is built at a height of 1 meter from the ground level which is connected to the branches of plants or leaves.



The female has a size of 8-10 mm, dark yellow carapace with white hair. Heart-shaped front bone. Anterior brown with white patches. The stomach is somewhat pentagonal, the legs are long and brown, the cephalothorax is brown, the dorsum is bright yellow or white with three horizontal black stripes, the ventrum has black, white and yellow stripes. Males have a size of 4-6 mm, cephalothorax is dark brown and has no streaks.

The female spins a circular web made of silk, incorporating a zig-zag structure known as a stabilimentum, and positions herself at the center of the web with her head facing downward. Males do not construct webs; instead, they occupy the periphery of the female's web. These spiders are naturally found in forests, gardens, waste disposal sites, drainage channels, and sewage systems.

This species is an entomophagous predator that feeds on various types of insects. When disturbed, they drop to the ground, returning to their original position once the disturbance has passed. Males engage in specific courtship behaviors, including vibrating the web to initiate mating with the female. Females show a greater preference for males capable of inducing high-frequency, long-duration vibrations in the web.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Infraorder: Entelegynae
Superfamily: Araneoidea
Family: Araneidae
Subfamily: Argiopinae
Genus: Argiope Audouin (1826)
Complex: Argiope versicolor
Species: Argiope pulchella Thorell (1881)

SYNONYMS

Argiope pulchella Jäger & Praxaysombath (2009)
Argiope pulchella Jäger (2012)
Argiope undulata Thorell (1887)
Argiope undulata Thorell (1895)

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 丽金蛛
Chinese (traditional): 麗金蛛
Czech: Křižák ozdobný
English: Garden cross spider
Indonesia: Laba-laba silang
Java: Kemonggo palang
Melayu: Labah-labah silang
Minang: Labah silang
Sunda: Lancah silang
Thai: แมงมุมนุ่งซิ่นใหญ่

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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