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Tuesday 14 July 2015

Banded garden spider - Argiope trifasciata (Forskål, 1775) - Cyprus

Family:Araneidae

The genus Argiope includes rather large spiders that often have a strikingly coloured abdomen. These spiders are distributed throughout the world. Most countries in tropical or temperate climates host one or more species that are similar in appearance. The etymology of Argiope is from a Latin word argentum meaning silver. The carapace of Argiope species is typically covered in silvery hairs, and when crawling in the sun, they reflect it in a way that gives them a metallic, white appearance
As most orb weavers, they own a third claw which is used to weave their complex webs. As most spiders, there is also a significant amount of sexual dimorphism, females measuring 19 to 28mm and males measuring 5 to 9mm. Their webs are relatively big, usually with zigzag patterns in them. They own black and yellow patterning all around their body, occasionally on their legs. Their legs mainly being black, with red or yellow patterning closer to the body. Their cephalothorax is covered with short silver hairs, and they own an egg shape abdomen

Also called banded garden spider in the USA, is a species of spider found around the world. In Europe you can find it in the Iberian peninsula, Canary islands, Madeira and Cyprus. The similar looking Argiope bruennichi is common in the Azores.[citation needed] Considered a pest in some areas, they usually start to appear during the Fall (Autumn), from early September till late October, when the temperatures start dropping.
Their webs can reach a diameter of about 60 cm. The length of the web will depend on the size of the spider, it can reach a total length of 2 meters. 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia













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Photos Nicosia,Athalassa,Potamia  by George Konstantinou

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