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Archive 2015 · Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi in a Suburban Garden

  
 
e6filmuser
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi in a Suburban Garden


A number of my topics start with saying that my wife had wanted to show me something in the garden. This time, she mentioned a spider with two yellow stripes.

The only spider I was aware, with such stripes, was the raft spider (subject of a recent topic). Yes, there had been a lot of rain but surely not…

The stripes were ventral, the dorsal surface having transverse ones. It was a spider that I had seen only in continental Europe, although I knew that it occurred in the UK. It was the Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi. There it was, suspended on its web between two tomato plants.

On this day, it had a white squiggle of thickened, white web extending vertically downwards. On the second and third day this was missing, to reappear on the fourth day (last image).
For two days, the spider showed its ventral side only. On the second day I managed to move the tomato plants slightly outwards and get some shots of the dorsal side of the spider, using my Lumix 14-45mm and its AF.

On the third and fourth days, the spider had moved to a position high up (9 feet) on the outside of a large picture window, photos being possible only from the top of a step ladder. (They are supposed to make webs near ground level. As their favourite prey are grasshoppers and crickets, so it may go a bit hungry!).

Images, except for the Lumix shots, were shot though either my Kiron 105mm macro or the 150mm Printing Nikkor, the latter set at about 1:2 at the sensor, with twin or triple flash, respectively. The final image was taken after failing to show the web structure successfully with the spider in front of the window. It was shot from inside, not using flash, which would have emphasised any dirt on the outside of the glass. I have left in the colour of the sky rather than go to complete silhouette. The rearmost left leg is missing.

The fifth one had some digital fill light.

I thought my ten-year-old nephew might be impressed with a large, yellow-striped spider. Without looking up from what he was doing, he said there had been one on the window of his club hut.

This is one of our largest spiders, the females up to 2cm, larger when full of eggs. It is in the same family as Araneus, the common garden orb web spider. The fine webbing behind which it lurks is said to help hide it.

My spider book (1995) says the species is well-established near the south coast but absent from the rest of Britain. A friend has seen it at a nature reserve about a half hour drive from here. So that is two localities 50 miles from the nearest coast! Recording scheme data shows it to be spreading northwards.

Harold






© Harold Gough 2015





© Harold Gough 2015





© Harold Gough 2015





© Harold Gough 2015





© Harold Gough 2015



Edited on Sep 23, 2015 at 02:26 AM · View previous versions



Sep 23, 2015 at 12:33 AM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi in a Suburban Garden


More.

The first two are with the Lumix zoom and the last three are when the web was on the window, the last from inside.

Harold



© Harold Gough 2015





© Harold Gough 2015





© Harold Gough 2015










© Harold Gough 2015




Sep 23, 2015 at 12:36 AM
surfnron
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi in a Suburban Garden


Congrats on the new species Harold. These are nicely captured too. I used to have at least one of the common variety in my garden every year, but not for the last few years. We did see many when at the beach this year in the tall grasses. Now I am wondering which of these two they were ~ Ron


Sep 23, 2015 at 07:44 AM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi in a Suburban Garden


surfnron wrote:
Congrats on the new species Harold. These are nicely captured too. I used to have at least one of the common variety in my garden every year, but not for the last few years. We did see many when at the beach this year in the tall grasses. Now I am wondering which of these two they were ~ Ron


Thanks, Ron.

The other European species A. lobata lives in warmer parts of Europe. It has huge, lateral tooth-shaped projections on the abdomen.

You have A. aurantia, which has a more squiggled, lateral yellow pattern and no stripes right across.

Argiope egg cocoons are like those of the Pirate Spider, with coppery threads of silk.

Harold



Sep 23, 2015 at 09:04 AM





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