An Argiope Spider Encounter at the Foothills of Maleha, Sharjah

 

A large female Argiope spider on the prowl

The characteristic curved triangular points on the abdomen 

On its ventral side the triangular points are more distinct

Look at the super cool spinneret and the Teddy Bear silhouette on its abdomen ! 

Holding on to its thick and super strong supporting silky thread as it moves about

Gotcha! Wrapping its prey in silk after it got caught in its web

Reeling another captured butterfly into its pantry

Feel the tension, pull that silky thread!

Crawling on all eights upside down! Awesome!

The Argiope spider egg sac

Ascending the foothills of the Maleha Trail, as numerous butterflies are fluttering past me, I observed a long (2-3 meters) thick silky thread traversing the span from the branch of a spiny Acacia to a rock outcrop below. The long thick silky thread was supporting an ornate web that houses a large and very attractive spider.  Strategically setting up its web on the foothills was this awesome lady Argiope cf. sector spider.  

ORB WEAVING SPIDER, Argiope cf. sector (ARANEAE: ARANEIDAE)

Argiope cf. sector spider belongs to the large group of Orb weaving spiders (ornate web builders). The Argiope female has a large abdomen (almost thumb size) but small head, which bears eight eyes situated in front of the head arranged in two horizontal rows,  it has 8 long legs, but its 3rd pair of legs are noticeably shorter than the rest. The dorsal potion of the body are white  to yellow in color with dark markings, the ventral portion showcases dark pattern with a Teddy bear silhouette below its spinnerets. The abdomen is oval in shape with curved triangular points. 

The male Argiope spiders are much smaller than the females.

BIODYNAMIC NOTES

Argiope female spiders build a large orb web which can reach 30-60 cm in diameter. The thick support thread for the web can span up to 2 meters. The webs are often constructed in between Acacia trees, rocks and other shrubs. 

Upon completion of the web, the female positions itself at the center and then faces herself downwards. Ready to detect any movement along the silky orb. 

In cases where the female senses danger of attack on her web, she rapidly vibrates the web perpendicular to its plane to create a "blurring image effect" to distract potential attackers. 

During mating the smaller male creates a companion web alongside the females web (Mr. Spider Lover's access point).

The eggs sacs of Argiope looks like cotton balls surrounded by threads of silk. These egg sacs are placed away from the web by the female mostly in vegetation. An egg sac can contain up to 400 eggs. 

These orb weavers are GENERALIST PREDATORS and feed on different types of insects that are captured of their webs.

Take note that these large spiders are  NOT HARMFUL to HUMANS. Their venom has no effect on us. So don't be scared of these beautiful web spinners. As much as possible just let them be on their natural environment and fulfill their role in INSECT BIOLOGICAL CONTROL.

It was an awesome encounter to see how this awesome lady spider captured its prey, build and rebuild its web and vibrates the orb as this curious explorer looks on. Admittedly, I was captured by her awesome orb abilities!

Spiders are Truly Awesome! 

Awesome Creature! AWESOME CREATOR! 

Thanks for your support and careful attention. 

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