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Araneidae—Orbweavers |
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Agelenidae—Funnel Weavers Amaurobiidae—Hackledmesh Weavers Araneidae—Orbweavers Clubionidae—Sac Spiders Dysderidae—Dysderid Spiders Lycosidae—Wolf Spiders Miturgidae—Prowling Spiders Pisauridae—Nursery Web Spiders Pholcidae—Cellar or Daddylonglegs Spiders Salticidae—Jumping Spiders Sicariidae—Sixeyed Sicariid Spiders Theridiidae—Cobweb Weavers Photographs courtesy of Steven Jacobs. Prepared by Steven Jacobs, |
Banded garden spiders are not as commonly encountered in Pennsylvania as yellow garden spiders, although they inhabit similar locations. Where the habitat is favorable, this spider is found throughout the United States. Description The banded garden spider female is 15 to 25 millimeters in length—slightly smaller than the previous species. The carapace is covered with silvery hairs. The abdomen is an elongated oval with the posterior somewhat pointed and the anterior rounded without the humps or notch described in the yellow garden spider. The abdominal background color is a pale yellow/silver with numerous lateral bands or stripes of black. The legs are also a pale yellow with darker spots or bands. The males are 4 to 5 millimeters in length and their abdomens are mostly white. The immature banded garden spiders also have a mostly white dorsal surface of the abdomen. The egg cocoon is similar in texture and color as that of the yellow garden spider, but it is shaped more like a kettledrum. The web is similar in size and shape to that of the yellow garden spider. It is not uncommon for the stabilimentum to be absent or have variability in shape. Life History/Behavior Banded garden spider adults can be found from mid- to late summer through the first freeze. Egg cocoons are deposited in early fall and consist of several hundred eggs. The immature spiders emerge the following spring. A behavioral study of web construction determined that the majority of Argiope trifasciata orient their webs along an east-to-west axis. The spiders hang head-down in the center of the web with their abdomens facing south. Since the underside (venter) of the spider is mostly black, the orientation of both web and spider is believed to maximize solar radiation for heat gain—an important consideration for spiders that are active late in the year. Medical Importance Similar to their cousin Argiope spiders, the banded garden spiders are not known to be medically important. It is unlikely that bites would occur unless people handled a female with an egg cocoon in the web. Even then, the bite would likely cause no more discomfort in most individuals than that of a wasp or bee sting.
Authored by: Steve Jacobs, Sr. Extension Associate March
2002 ©
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Banded Garden Spider