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Wasp spider


Wasp spider
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 336 W: 0 N: 1271] (4341)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-09-10
Categories: Insects
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-07-09 21:02
Viewed: 327
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
Today a not native spider but the last 3-4 years are these spider have been from inmigrant to native.

Latin name - Argiope bruennichi

The common name of this beautiful spider is wasp spider. This spider is, like all orb-weavers, not poisonous for us.
The adult female has a shining silvery cephalothorax (head) and a yellowish abdomen with black and white bars across it.

The adult female is much larger than the male. The male measures between 4 and 6 mm while the female has a full grown size between 14 - 17 mm.
When the female is loaded with eggs she can become enormous in size.
Argiopes can be easily identified by the zigzag of white silk in their webs. Like all orb-weavers, they have ringed legs.
The function of the zigzag of white silk in their web is not clear. There are several ideas what the purpose may be.
It may be used to attract insects because it is radiating UV-light and that attract insects. Another explanation is that it is to frighten predators. The spider shakes the web vigorously when something large is approaching and that result in a blurry white spot.
Another explanation can be that the spider makes the web clear to see and that should avoid large animals to destroy the web.
The zigzag is not in the web when the spiders are young. In the pictures below you can see that the young spider sits in a circular zigzagging construction. When it gets older it makes both forms and eventually the spider only makes the zigzag in a line.

In July the males mate with the females and often loose their life or some legs after their 'duty'.
The female makes a brown cocoon one month after mating and the young spiders hatch the next year in spring. The female dies in the winter.
The spider lives in open grassy areas and makes her web amongst the grass and low herbage. In the Mediterranean she is very common but the last decennia she is moving up North.
She is reported often from Limburg in the South of The Netherlands and are now all in more counties, around Berlin in Germany and in Great-Britain where she was already reported in 1940.

When the spider catches her prey she wraps it very fast in silk. After a lethal bite with venom and protein dissolving enzymes she waits until the prey does not struggle anymore and sucks it empty or hangs the packet in her web to consume it later.
If a too large insect gets into her web she bites the threads in which the insect hangs loose of her web until the insect falls out.
Jamesp, Vinster, siggi, CeltickRanger, haraprasan, jaycee, bahadir, xTauruSx, lise, bobcat08 has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1210 W: 0 N: 4626] (13756)
  • [2008-07-09 23:33]

Hi Gert

Great shot - nice detail and diagonal pose. This is a very colourful spider. Good note too.

James

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 198 W: 2 N: 514] (1936)
  • [2008-07-10 0:28]

Hi Gerd,
This is beautiful! I like the colors of the spider and the transparancy of the capture is great. Compositions like this always show the greatness of nature.
regards,
Siggi

  • Great 
  • GLEM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 522 W: 87 N: 693] (5737)
  • [2008-07-10 2:02]

hi Gert,
belle image d'un sujet pourtant peu élégant. Le pov est bien trouvé pour mettre en valeur les dessins du spécimen.

gl

Hi Gert

Today we posted the same theme, spiders.
Good shot of this invader to your country
Good sharpness
Good composition
Great DOF and POV
Great background

Chris

hello Gert

excellent shot of this spider, i love your POV the spider from his back
giving another view, beautiful luminosity of the image
excellent sharpness and details of the spider, TFS

Asbed

Hi Gert,
A nice capture of this beautiful wasp spider. Superb details and a lovely composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1684 W: 8 N: 4321] (14053)
  • [2008-07-10 10:33]

Hi Gert,

A fascinating pov showing off this spider's wonderful colors. I've never seen one like this. The yellows and blacks are superb and the details are nice and sharp. Love the position it is in.

Jane

Hello Gert, great macro of this spider TFS. Regards,
Bahadır

Hello Gert, perfect macro shot of this spider. Great composition, lighting and DOF. TFS.
G's,
Deniz

  • Great 
  • lise Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 179 W: 52 N: 531] (2593)
  • [2008-07-10 16:13]

Hi Gert,
I've been looking for that spider for a long time and never found one, thanks for sharing this beauty.
Very nice colours and POV, wonderful sharpness.
Great job
Lise

Hallo Gert,

Het blijven toch fascinerende beesten, die spinnen. Deze foto komt de tijgerspin heel goed tot zijn recht. Alle details zijn goed zichtbaar, ondanks dat het een tegenlicht opname is. POV, DOF en BG zijn zoals gebruikelijk goed.

Ik hoop dat de volgende er eentje is in het web.

Prettig weekend en tot TFS BOB

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-07-12 22:07]

Hello Gert

Just marking the post for now

Rob

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 155 W: 0 N: 126] (677)
  • [2008-07-12 22:46]

Hello Gert,
what a wonder creation here.
Lovely one. Great capture among the grasses and beautifully designed to create clarity with blurred background. Very sharp and great composition.

regards,
Foozi

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