Argiope protensaEgg Sac Prey Web & Stabilimentum
This beautiful Argiope protensa spider is also known as the Long-tailed St. Andrew’s Cross Spider. It is part of the Infraorder Araneomorphae, that are spiders with opposing fangs and part of the family Araneidae, that are Orb Weavers with over 232 named species in Australia.
The Argiope protensa has a slightly different and lighter colouration on the top of the body, compared to underneath. Following photo of the Argiope protensa is the same spider as in the photo above, but from a different angle.
The Argiope protensa usually has a fragile almost circular shaped web, that is strung between stems of small shrubs and even tall grasses. There is often a visible stabilimentum, although this is not in the form of the X shape like other St Andrew’s Cross spiders.
Common name
Long-tailed St Andrew’s Cross Spider, Elongated St. Andrews Cross Spider, Longtailed Orb-weaving Spider, Tear Drop Spider, Tailed Forest Spider.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Family: Araneidae
- Genus: Argiope
- Species: Argiope protensa
Footnote & References
- Argiope protensa, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:f607fc3a-4348-424e-80a7-f71c78489d1e
- Argiope protensa (L. Koch, 1872) Long-tailed Argiope, Arachne.org.au, A Field Guide to the Spiders of Australia, by Robert Whyte, and Greg Anderson, http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=2103
- Do stabilimenta in orb webs attract prey or defend spiders?, by Todd A. Blackledge, John W. Wenzel, Behavioral Ecology, https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/10/4/372/2252323
- The Function of Stabilimenta in Spider Webs, by Emma Clodfelter ’21, Central College, Writing Anthology, https://central.edu/writing-anthology/2020/07/06/the-function-of-stabilimenta-in-spider-webs/
- Many thanks to Narelle Murphy for ID of this species, Australian spider identification page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/australianspidereducation
Argiope protensaEgg Sac Prey Web & Stabilimentum
SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia Araneidae — Orb Weavers Arkys Australian Huntsman Spider Barking Spider Black House Spider Carepalxis sp Celaenia sp Crab Spiders Deinopidae — Net-casting Spiders Dolomedes sp Dolophones sp Flower Spiders Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus volans Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider