I'm sorry but this just creeps me out - Argiope aurantia - BugGuide.Net

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Orb Weavers (Araneidae) » Garden Orbweavers (Argiope) » Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia)

Photo#852834

Copyright © 2013 DFWDave

I'm sorry but this just creeps me out - Argiope aurantia

Near Paris, TX, Lamar County, Texas, USA
October 7, 2013
Size: Body alone about 2" dia

What kind of spider is this? And is its size because it is pregnant, or is this a normal size? It seems there are lots of these around all of a sudden this month. I had a flashback of Tarzan's encounter with the giant spider when I walked into this thing's web she had built across my gate!

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Contributed by DFWDave on 8 October, 2013 - 1:02pm
Last updated 8 October, 2013 - 4:17pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request. A female this size this late in the year may very well be 'pregnant' or gravid. She should be creating her egg sac soon I would guess.

… Lynette Elliott, 8 October, 2013 - 4:17pm

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Did not know about egg sacs this late

I'm used to seeing egg sacs earlier in the year, but I'm also dealing w/ a "slightly cooler" climate ;) Will they reproduce more than once a year if it stays warm enough?

… LaciP, 8 October, 2013 - 4:29pm

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Reproduce more than once?

I'm guessing that is likely. However, it may mate with more than one male before creating an egg sac. One of the references says they create up to 4 egg sacs in a season, but I'm not sure if they have to mate each time or if mating once in the season works for all 4 egg sacs.

… Lynette Elliott, 8 October, 2013 - 4:49pm

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Garden spider

Looks like a black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia). She's not pregnant, that's just the shape of her abdomen. The webs can be a bit scary as they always seem to be built right at "face height", but she's an insect eater.

… LaciP, 8 October, 2013 - 1:52pm

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Thanks for IDing this one.

I seen this same spider in Delaware, but my images were not the best quality!

… Vidya Venkat, 8 October, 2013 - 2:03pm

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