Introduction. St Andrew's Cross Spiders are named for their bright, cross-shaped web decorations. Identification. St Andrew's Cross Spiders are named for their bright web decorations - zig-zag ribbons of bluish-white silk that form a full or partial cross through the centre of the orb web. There is a high degree of variability in the stabilimenta of St. Andrew's cross spiders. Although some weave big, thick X shapes with all four arms, they are also known to weave an X with anywhere.
FileFemale St Andrew's Cross Spider Argiope keyserlingi.jpg Wikimedia Commons
Females have a silvery carapace and a silver, yellow, red and black banded upper abdomen with two longitudinal yellow stripes below. The St. Andrew's Cross Spider sits with the legs in pairs. The brown and cream colored males are smaller than females. The body length of the male measures around 3 - 4 millimetres while the females are larger. Average lifespan. One year. Size. Males 3mm- 4mm, females 10mm- 16mm. Not one to blend into the background of its creations, the St Andrew's cross spider is also striking in its own appearance, with bright yellow stripes across its abdomen, making it hard to miss amongst the garden foliage. A male (left) and female (right) St Andrew's cross. Argiope aetherea is a common, large orb-web spider (family Araneidae). Like other species of Argiope, it is commonly known as the St Andrew's Cross spider, due to the characteristic cross-shaped web decorations female spiders often include in their webs. A. aetherea is similar in appearance to A. keyserlingi, however female A. aetherea are generally larger than A. keyserlingi. Description. As most orb weavers, they own a third claw which is used to weave their complex webs. As most spiders, there is also a significant amount of sexual dimorphism, females measuring 19 to 28mm and males measuring 5 to 9mm. Their webs are relatively big, usually with zigzag patterns in them. They own black and yellow patterning all around their body, occasionally on their legs.
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8 Interesting Facts About the St. Andrew's Cross Spider
Adults. Size: Females are 0.39-0.62 in (1-1.6 cm) and males are 0.11-0.15 in (0.3-0.4 cm). Color: Females' carapaces are yellow and gray with black and red bands, while the upper part of the having two yellow horizontal stripes. Males differ in coloration of the body as they are a combination of cream and brown with the same longitudinal stripes. St Andrew's Cross Spiders - the full story. St Andrew's Cross Spiders are fantastic backyard buddies as they spin big webs that easily snare insects such as flies, mosquitoes, moths, bees and bugs. They are not aggressive towards people and their bite is not toxic. The webs of St Andrew's Cross Spiders are also fascinating to look at. The St. Andrew's cross spider (Argiope keyserlingi) is named for its bright web decorations in the shape of a saltire. It spins a zig zag line of bluish silk in a cross shape through the centre of their web. It then sits in the centre of the web with their legs aligned along the arms of the cross. Argiope keyserlingi. Painted Orb Weaver ( Argiope picta) less common than the St Andrew's Cross Spider and doesn't normally produce a complete X pattern on its web. Banded orb-weaving spider ( Argiope trifasciata) has yellow, white and black bands on its abdomen, and dark brown and pale yellow bands along the entire length of its legs.
FileSt Andrews Cross spider.JPG Wikipedia
Where do St Andrew's Cross spiders live? St Andrew's Cross spiders can be found on the east coast of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Habitats include backyards, open forests, shrubby bush and the edges of rainforests. Medium-sized webs are built about one to two metres above the ground and can usually be found between shrubs and bushes. The St Andrew's Cross Spider's Latin name is Argiope kiyserlingi. The female's size is about 20mm long and its cephalothorax is flattened and covered in white or silver hairs. It also has a banded and spotted abdomen in a white, yellow, red and black pattern The male is about 4 mm long and has a brown body (pic below). In Australia, the St.
St. Andrews Cross Spider ( Argiope keyserlingi ) St. Andrews Cross Spider - showing the white cross pattern in the web. This spider appears to have lost two of its back legs and is growing new legs - see how the two back legs on the right of the photo do not match the others. St Andrew's Cross Spider - Argiope keyserlingi. Family - Araneidae (Araneomorphae) ~ These spiders get their name from the shape of their web decorations, the white silk that they spin through the centre of the orb web in the shape of a cross. The spider also sits in the web with its legs in pairs forming the shape of a cross.
St Andrew's Cross Spider The Australian Museum
The zig-zags in the web of a St. Andrew's cross spider form a large X shape, similar to the heraldic symbol known as a saltire. It's also known as Saint Andrew's cross, since Andrew the Apostle is traditionally said to have been crucified on a diagonal cross in the shape of the letter X. When the spider sits in the middle of the cross, it. Spider Identification. St Andrew's Cross Spider. Identification. Adult is 5 to 15 mm in body length - abdomen striped yellow and brown - as illustrated. The St Andrew's Cross Spider usually sits, upside down, in the middle of it's web forming a cross - as shown above. Area of Distribution. Australia-wide. Venom Toxicity.
