Argiope aurantia
(Black and Yellow Garden Spider)

Featured spider picture The spider species Argiope aurantia, commonly known as Black and Yellow Garden Spider, belongs to the genus Argiope, in the family Araneidae. Argiope aurantia spiders have been sighted 146 times by contributing members. Based on collected data, the geographic range for Argiope aurantia includes 3 countries and 34 states in the United States. Argiope aurantia is most often sighted outdoors, and during the month of September.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Arachnida
  • Order: Araneae
  • Suborder: Araneomorphae
  • Family: Araneidae
  • Genus: Argiope
  • Species: Argiope aurantia

Common Name (AASMore information icon)

Yellow Garden Spider

Other Common Names

Black and Yellow Garden Spider, Black and Yellow Argiope, Garden Spider, Writing Spider, Golden Orb-weaver

Author

Hippolyte Lucas, 1833

Primary Colors


Sightings Overview

There have been 146 confirmed sightings of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider), with the most recent sighting submitted on November 4, 2023 by Spider ID member tommyoda. The detailed statistics below may not utilize the complete dataset of 146 sightings because of certain Argiope aurantia sightings reporting incomplete data.

  • Web: 79% of the time, Argiope aurantia spiders are sighted in a spider web (Sample size: 146)
  • Sex: 28 female and 3 male.
  • Environment: Argiope aurantia has been sighted 165 times outdoors, and 8 times indoors.
  • Outdoors: Man-made structure (96). On flower (5). Low foliage (40). High foliage (6). Ground layer (8). Freshwater river, lake, stream (2). Open field, pasture, grassland (5). Forest (3).

Location and Range

Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) has been sighted in the following countries: Canada, Mexico, United States.

Argiope aurantia has also been sighted in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Seasonality

Argiope aurantia has been primarily sighted during the month of September.

  • January:
  • February: 1
  • March: 1
  • April: 1
  • May: 9
  • June: 6
  • July: 11
  • August: 37
  • September: 44
  • October: 32
  • November: 2
  • December: 2

Additional Remarks

  • One of the largest members of the orb weaver family Araneidae in North America. Because of its size and bright coloration, it’s one of the most commonly known and recognized by observers.
  • This species takes most of its potty breaks at night, and often leaves its web to do so (Curtis & Carrel 2000).
  • As a defensive strategy, this spider may rapidly shake and vibrate in its web; the shaking blurs the spider and makes it appear bigger than it really is.
  • Egg sacs are made of tough brown silk, are spherical or pear-shaped, about 20-25mm in diameter, and can contain 400 to 1,200 yellowish eggs, sometimes even more. Females can make 3 or 4 of them, roughly one or two weeks apart. Spiderlings (baby spiders) overwinter inside the egg sac and emerge in the spring.

Featured Pictures

Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) - Ventral Enlarge Picture
Picture of Argiope aurantia (Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Enlarge Picture
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