Argiope aurantia (Argiope riparia).—449, female. 450, male enlarged twice.
Date 1902
Source The Common Spiders of the United States. Ginn & Company. Boston. 1902
Author James Henry Emerton (1847 – 1931)
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Spiders_U.S._449-0_Argiope_aurantia.png


Argiope aurantia - yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, zipper spider, black and yellow argiope, corn spider, Steeler spider, McKinley spider

The yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) is a fascinating arachnid commonly found in North America, including the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Females have a distinctive appearance with a black abdomen adorned with symmetrical patches of bright yellow. Their legs transition from reddish-brown at the base to black toward the tips. Males are smaller and less striking, with brownish legs and less yellow coloration on their abdomens. Yellow garden spiders are orb-weaving spiders, meaning they spin circular webs. They have an additional claw to help them create their complex webs. Their webs often feature a highly visible zigzagging X-shaped pattern called a stabilimentum. The purpose of this pattern is still debated, but it may serve to alert birds to the web’s presence or camouflage the spider.

Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Argiope
Species: Argiope aurantia Lucas, 1833
Synonyms

Nephila vestita C.L. Koch, 1838
Epeira aurantia Lucas, 1840
Epeira cophinaria Walckenaer, 1841
Epeira ambitoria Walckenaer, 1841
Epeira riparia Hentz, 1847
Epeira sutrix Hentz, 1847
Argiope riparia McCook, 1882
Argiope personata O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893
Argiope cophinaria McCook, 1894
Argiope godmani O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898
Miranda cophinaria F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1903