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 m 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.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Argiope
Species: A. pulchella

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