arachnid identity needed

Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
I just saw this cute little guy this morning and watched him catch and eat a yellow jacket. I was impressed with that! The pic ain't that great, but it's the best I can do with sleep still in my eyes, and trying to keep the dog from eating mushrooms (it's that season again) and rolling in unidentifiables.
 

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Suz

Suz

33 yrs & we r still n luv
Ponytail said:
I just saw this cute little guy this morning and watched him catch and eat a yellow jacket. I was impressed with that! The pic ain't that great, but it's the best I can do with sleep still in my eyes, and trying to keep the dog from eating mushrooms (it's that season again) and rolling in unidentifiables.
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what kind of spider is that???????
 
BigSlam123b

BigSlam123b

Only happy When It Rains
Ponytail said:
I just saw this cute little guy this morning and watched him catch and eat a yellow jacket. I was impressed with that! The pic ain't that great, but it's the best I can do with sleep still in my eyes, and trying to keep the dog from eating mushrooms (it's that season again) and rolling in unidentifiables.
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Judging by your pic, I would have to go with this:


Silver Argiope- Argiope argentata

The male grows to 1/8-1/4" (4-5 mm), and the female 1/2-5/8" (12-16 mm). They have silvery short hair on upper surface of female's cephalothorax and 1st abdominal segment. Most of the abdomen is black to brownish yellow with silver spots. Underneath is also black to yellow-brown. Legs are blackish brown to yellow with 2 pale bands and black hair. They make the same zigzag cross strands forming X-shaped mark at centre, measuring to 32" (81 cm) across as the Black and Yellow Argiope. Primarily a spider found in the New World.

This spider is one of nature's many pest control agents. Its appetite for insects results in its keeping many burgeoning insect populations in check. As a group, orb-weaving spiders consume many tons of insects every year.

You can find silver argiopes among shrubbery, tall plants and flowers in meadows and gardens. This is a non-poisonous species of spider. Very closely related to another common Maryland spider. (see picture below)

:peace:
 

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Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
Hmm I dunno BigSlam. This pic was taken at my house in Lusby. I dunno, is that the New World? :lol: (I relly don't know, I've never heard that before...at least, my memory tells me that). The web was easily 3 feet in diameter spun from a tree to the steps on my deck, over all about 6 feet.

The spider itself had no visible hair, despite my "fuzzy" picture, and what may be hard to see is that his back is brown, with a large BRIGHT yellow traingle with 6 dark spots on it's perimeter. It's belly was brown, white and black, kind of hard to decribe. The size of the spider overall was about the size of a quarter (circular around tip of legs). It's body was about the size of a nickle.

What was REALLY cool about this spider, was the way it went UP the web strand. It seemd to levitate. It's legs moved VERY little, yet it went UP very quickly when carrying the yellowjacket to a pair of leaves that it had spun together to make like a little "lunch room". Kind of looked like he rode an invisible elevator to trh restaraunt on the top floor. :lol: No, I wasn't drinking, nor smoking anything. It was just cool as hell!

There was no "X" pattern in the web like that either. I've seen those before. This guy, I've never seen anything like it.
 
BigSlam123b

BigSlam123b

Only happy When It Rains
Ponytail said:
Hmm I dunno BigSlam. This pic was taken at my house in Lusby. I dunno, is that the New World? :lol: (I relly don't know, I've never heard that before...at least, my memory tells me that). The web was easily 3 feet in diameter spun from a tree to the steps on my deck, over all about 6 feet.

The spider itself had no visible hair, despite my "fuzzy" picture, and what may be hard to see is that his back is brown, with a large BRIGHT yellow traingle with 6 dark spots on it's perimeter. It's belly was brown, white and black, kind of hard to decribe. The size of the spider overall was about the size of a quarter (circular around tip of legs). It's body was about the size of a nickle.

What was REALLY cool about this spider, was the way it went UP the web strand. It seemd to levitate. It's legs moved VERY little, yet it went UP very quickly when carrying the yellowjacket to a pair of leaves that it had spun together to make like a little "lunch room". Kind of looked like he rode an invisible elevator to trh restaraunt on the top floor. :lol: No, I wasn't drinking, nor smoking anything. It was just cool as hell!
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Sounds like what I described. The zig zag pattern is not always pronounced, visible, or even used by all Argiope spiders, even those of the same species. the new world refers to the Americas, but i assume you really did know that.
 
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ylexot

ylexot

Super Genius
BigSlam123b said:
Very closely related to another common Maryland spider. (see picture below)

:peace:
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What kind of spider is that? I have a bunch of those around my house. It's fun to watch them grow. I had a HUGE one last year, but my pictures didn't turn out so great. I'll try to get some good pictures this year.
 
BigSlam123b

BigSlam123b

Only happy When It Rains
ylexot said:
What kind of spider is that? I have a bunch of those around my house. It's fun to watch them grow. I had a HUGE one last year, but my pictures didn't turn out so great. I'll try to get some good pictures this year.
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the Black and Yellow Argiope. :peace:
 
Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
BigSlam123b said:
... the new world refers to the Americas, but i assume you really did know that.
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That does ring a bell now... I really had no clue earlier though. I need to get more sleep. :lol:
 
Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
elaine said:
Better your yard than mine. I planted 5 mantis sacks in the spring, I now have praying mantis all over the place. Haven't seen a spider yet this year. :yay:
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I would much rather see a Praying Mantis than a spider, but considering this spider ate a yellow jacket, and JUST missed another one before I had to leave for work, and my slight phobia of bees, I'm torn. :lol:
 
crabcake

crabcake

But wait, there's more...
Ponytail said:
I would much rather see a Praying Mantis than a spider, but considering this spider ate a yellow jacket, and JUST missed another one before I had to leave for work, and my slight phobia of bees, I'm torn. :lol:
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Does he have a brother? :whistle: :biggrin:
 
G

Gemmi

Guest
OMG!!Snakes on the steps!I had one on my deck last week.I have to admit I hate bees also,especially wasps.Spiders are OK as long as they are not crawling on me.
 
Sharon

Sharon

* * * * * * * * *
Staff member
PREMO Member
Ponytail said:
I just saw this cute little guy this morning and watched him catch and eat a yellow jacket. I was impressed with that! The pic ain't that great, but it's the best I can do with sleep still in my eyes, and trying to keep the dog from eating mushrooms (it's that season again) and rolling in unidentifiables.
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I saw her sister this morning in a web right outside my slider. I almost took a pic of her sucking the juice out of her latest catch. Would've made a great pic! :lol:

BTW, if you've ever been fortunate enough :rolleyes: to walk thru one of those webs and have that spider land on your skin, their legs are quite pointy. :lmao:

And...you can watch those suckers grow by the week until they are HUGE. :yikes:
 
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