Argiope argentata

A. argentata create stabilimenta and a unique zig-zag in its web design, and it utilizes its UV-reflecting silk to attract pollinating species to prey upon.

This UV-reflectance may serve the same purpose as the UV-silk used to spin their webs: to attract pollinating prey by imitating the characteristics of flowers.

[6] As a spider that is attracted to dry and humid environments, it thrives on the prickly-pear plants of Southern California.

Argiope argentata follows a distinct sequence of steps when capturing, killing, and ultimately eating its prey.

Further hypotheses center on the idea that the UV reflective capabilities of the web divert and deter birds from crashing into it.

Despite hypotheses that the web is also used in part as a defense measure against predators, evidence shows that the decorations can also attract them.

Males that survive, bravely try again, this time with success, only to be met with immediate cannibalism after the act of insemination is completed.

As an evolutionary strategy to ensure gene propagation, they engage in "plugging", in which the male breaks off its copulatory organ, securing it into the female, thus preventing future insemination by rivals.

The duration and intensity of this grooming behavior has a specific connection to the type of prey that was captured.

The spider deliberately grooms the tarsal region on each of its eight legs, which is hypothesized to be due to the ability of these structures to respond to chemical changes using chemosensory organs.

[14] As skilled web designers and catchers of prey, Argiope argentata are frequently the target of food theft by other species.

[9] Due to silver argiopes' poor vision, these intruders are usually able to escape detection and consequences for their trespass and thievery.

Because Argiope argentata can be found across different countries, there are currently no unified efforts to promote the conservation of either the species or the land on which they reside.

These efforts will not only sustain the habitats of spiders, but those of countless other species who might be harmed by human action.

According to information gathered from the St. Louis Zoo, these spiders help keep insect and pest numbers down as they consume thousands of pounds of them per year.

The four month long developmental time for A. argentata spiderlings opens the species up to a higher risk of deviation or disturbance in its normal population size.

[15] One hypothesis provided for these rampant cycles of extinction and regeneration, is that this constant fluctuation in population size leads to an inevitable outcome possibly hitting zero.

In fact, the bites of Argiope argentata are relatively comparable to a bee sting - with only minor redness and occasional swelling resulting.

Despite being relatively harmless to humans, the bites of A. argentata can prove deadly to smaller animals such as insects and rodents.

Female in web, California
Being eaten by a green lynx spider
Female silver argiope (bottom-left), with dewdrop spider (top-right, also with silver abdomen) living in its web, in Southern California