Argiope Brunnich | |||||||||
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Scientific classification | |||||||||
Kingdom: | Eumetazoi |
Infrastructure: | Araneomorphic Spiders |
Superfamily: | Araneoidea |
Subfamily: | Argiopinae |
View : | Argiope Brunnich |
Argiope bruennichi (Scopoli, 1772)
Argiope Brunnich , or spider wasp (lat. Argiope bruennichi) - a species of araneeomorphic spiders. It is a representative of an extensive family of orbiting spiders (Araneidae) One of the characteristic distinguishing features of this group is their ability to settle using cobwebs with ascending air currents. This feature of biology partly determines the population of northern territories with southern species.
Description
Medium sized spiders. The body length of females is up to 1.5 cm, male up to 5 mm. The legs are long and thin. In adults, sexual dimorphism is pronounced. Females have a rounded-oblong abdomen. The dorsal drawing of the abdomen looks like a series of black transverse stripes on a bright yellow background, resembles the wasp abdomen outwardly. The cephalothorax is silvery. Legs are light, with black wide rings. Males have a nondescript color. The abdomen of males is narrow, light beige in color with two longitudinal dark stripes. Legs are long, with blurry dark rings. On the pedipalps large bulbs are expressed - male genital organs.
Area
Palearctic view, gravitating to the zone of steppes and deserts. Distributed in North Africa, Southern and Central Europe, in the Crimea, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Asia Minor, Central Asia, China, Korea, India and Japan. In the European part of Russia, the northern border of distribution according to data from the late 1960s and early 1970s. passed along 52-53 ° s. w. However, since 2003, information has been received about the discovery of Argiope north of this line.
Distributed in Russia in the Orenburg, Bryansk, Orel, Lipetsk, Penza, Voronezh, Tambov, Ulyanovsk, Chelyabinsk, Saratov, Astrakhan regions, in the Crimea and the Caucasus, in recent years it has been observed in the Stavropol, Krasnoyarsk Territories, Ryazan, Tula, Moscow Regions. In 2015, it was discovered on the territory of the Rdeisky Reserve in the Novgorod Region. It was first discovered in the Kaluga region in August 1999. In August 2018 it was found in Samara, June 2019 in Syzran (Samara region)
Prefers meadows, roadsides, forest edges and other open sunny areas, gravitates to xerophilous vegetation. It settles on shrubs and herbaceous plants.
Biology
Like other spiders, weaving hunting nets in twilight time, the construction takes about an hour. The cobweb network is large, wheel-shaped. In the center of the spiral network is located stabilization - clearly visible threads forming a zigzag pattern. This is a distinctive feature of the networks of many orbiting spiders. Argiopes of stabilization are two, they differ in a zigzag shape and are located opposite each other, diverging from the center of the network.
Females usually sit in the center of the network, legs spread wide, while the legs of the first and second pairs, as well as the third and fourth, are usually brought together so that the spider visually resembles the letter X.
They feed on orthoptera and various other insects.
Mating occurs immediately after molting, preceding the maturation of the female, while her chelicea integument remains soft. The female lays eggs in a large cocoon, which is located next to the fishing net. The cocoon is protected by a female and looks like a seed box of plants. Spiders leave the cocoon in late August - early September and are actively dispersed through the air using cobwebs.
General information
The yellow-black argiope spider was named after the famous Danish zoologist from Denmark Morten Brunnich. The cephalothorax and abdomen of the animal are connected by a thin septum and are very mobile. The body length of the aspen spider reaches 2.5 cm when it comes to females. Males do not exceed 1 cm in length.
A distinctive feature of this species is a clear difference between representatives of different sexes. Females always significantly exceed the size of males, their abdomen is round and oblong. In males, the body is a continuous elongated oval without clear delineations of the head and abdomen.
The arthropod received its unofficial name and comparison with known insects due to the transverse stripes on its back. The color of the stripes is black, and they are located on a bright yellow background, which ensures similarity. The legs of the animal are light in color and have black tips. The female always looks brighter than the male.
In this video you will learn about the wasp spider:
A male can also be distinguished by the presence of 2-3 bands, which are not so bright and are located on a pale yellow background. It was the females who were nicknamed the spider-wasp, since the male has little resemblance to this insect.
Habitat
Argiope spider is a fairly common species. It can be found in many countries of North and South Africa, America, Korea and China. Argiope Brunnich is found in Indonesia and Central Asia. Southern and Central Europe, Crimea, Kazakhstan are also rich in this species of arachnids.
You can meet a spider in the CIS countries only in the southern regions
Arthropods are ubiquitous in Russia and the eastern part of Ukraine. He prefers a mild climate and does not tolerate cold, therefore in that part of our country where the humid and cold climate prevails, it is extremely rare.
The wasp spider prefers to be most of the time in the sun. That is why its favorite habitat is open glades, lawns and places along highways. The animal prefers to place the web on low plants growing in especially arid areas.
An interesting feature of the striped animal is that it, thanks to its long and strong web, can move over rather large distances and easily adapts to new conditions. Quite often, southern species can be found in areas with colder climates.
Lifestyle features
Black and yellow arthropod does not like loneliness, therefore, settles with its close relatives in groups of 15-20 individuals. This helps them hunt prey together and raise offspring. After the main female in the pack chooses a place to settle, weaving begins for cobwebs for catching insects.
The essence of the wasp spider hunt is to wait for the prey to reach the web
Each representative of the flock in about 60 minutes weaves an extensive web, characterized by strength and a beautiful pattern. Its feature is that even the smallest hole will not miss the prey that has already hit the network.
The web is also characterized by a variety of patterns and layering. According to research, individuals weave it in several layers so that it reflects ultraviolet rays. Glitter attracts insects of various species, providing the colony with a constant influx of food. Weaving usually begins at sunset.
If this process is interrupted, the arthropod leaves its work, hurries to shelter and after the disappearance of the threat begins to weave in another place. After the end of work, the animal is placed in the center of its weaving and awaits prey, remaining motionless for several hours.
Wasp Spider Food
The striped spider prefers to eat grasshoppers, different types of locusts, and its diet also includes mosquitoes, flies and other common insects. They enter the net, after which the animal begins the ritual of eating, which is almost indistinguishable from the nutritional characteristics of other spiders:
- If it enters the net, the insect tries to free itself.
- In order for the prey not to break the net, the argiope bites it. When bitten, arthropod venom and digestive enzymes enter the insect.
The introduction of enzymes into the victim’s body activates the process of digesting the viscera within it.
It is worth noting that the peculiar and multi-layered pattern of the web allows the arthropod not to be left without food, since it attracts a large number of various insects during the day. As a rule, after several insects are tangled in the web, the animal leaves this place and weaves a new one. This allows you to not scare away potential victims from beautiful networks.
Reproduction of Argiope
The lifespan of this arthropod species is about 12 months. Mating occurs only after the beginning of the molting period, which the male knows in advance. The whole process is as follows:
- The male awaits the moment of mating near the place of weaving of the web, usually on its edge.
- After the start of molting, the mating process takes place, which ends with the female eating the male.
The process of eating a male by a female after mating is similar to the type of breeding in black widows
After eating a partner, the female weaves a cocoon from the web, which will become a shelter for future offspring. As a rule, at one time she lays several hundred eggs that are in the cocoon before hatching. Mother diligently guards the offspring and leaves him only when threatened.
In winter, the female diesbut the cocoon remains, and in the spring spiders appear. After that, the kids settle in different places, and the whole life cycle begins anew. If the eggs were laid in early summer, then the offspring can hatch already in early autumn. Spiders spread with the help of wind, which transfers cobwebs to different places.
Features and habitat
This insect belongs to garden spider-weaver. What are they characterized by? To catch their victim, they make a fishing net of rather large sizes, circular in shape with a spiral center.
Agriope Brunnich
This middle is clearly visible in ultraviolet rays, so it is especially attractive to various insects. Bugs and bugs see her from afar, unsuspecting move in her direction and fall into the spider's web.
Their appearance is very similar to a zebra or wasp, therefore Agriopa is called a spider-wasp. The body of the spider is covered with alternating stripes of black and yellow. This feature applies only to females.
Male agriopes completely nondescript and no different, usually light beige. Two strips of dark tones can hardly be seen on his body. Pronounced dimorphism between the sexes in this case on the face. The body length of the female is from 15 to 30 mm. Her male is three times smaller.
Sometimes you can hear how they are also called tiger, wasp spiders. All names are given by these arachnids due to their coloring. They look very nice on the leaves of the plant.
Agriope lobulated
The head of the spider is black. Throughout the cephalothorax, dense hairs of ash tones are observed. The legs of the females are long black with yellow accents. In total, spiders have 6 limbs, of which 4 they use to move, one pair to grab the victim, and another pair to touch everything around.
From the respiratory organs of spiders, a pair of lungs and tracheas can be distinguished. Agriope black and yellow - This is one of the most numerous spiders. Their wide distribution is observed in many territories - they have populated the countries of North Africa, Asia Minor and Central Asia, India, China, Korea, Japan, the USA, some regions of Russia, and the Caucasus.
The movement of spiders to new territories has been observed recently due to a change in climatic conditions. Favorite places Agriopes Brunnichi a lot of. They love open, sunlit spaces, fields, lawns, roadsides, edges and forest glades.
In order to hunt a spider, you have to arrange your hunting nets. He does this on not too tall plants. Their spider webs can take the air currents so far that it is easy for spiders to travel along sufficiently large distances with them.
Thus, the southern populations move to the northern territories. It is worth paying tribute to the web of Agriope. In this case, the spider is perfect. Two patterns are observed in the web, diverging from the middle and located opposite each other. This uniqueness of her is a real trap for victims of the spider.
Spiders can make such beauty thanks to the unusual structure of the limbs, on the last pair of which there are three simple claws with serrated bristles and a special appendage in the form of a spike, which weaves intricate patterns from the web.
If you look at photo Agriope lobata you can immediately identify the female, not only by her special color, but also by the fact that she is usually in the center of the web, most often upside down, resembling the letter “X”.
Character and lifestyle
To weave its web, a spider Agriope Lobata basically chooses twilight time. It usually takes him about an hour to do this. Most often, its web can be seen between plants about 30 cm from the surface of the earth. This arachnid is well aware of the danger. In this case, the spider leaves the fruits of its labors and hides on the ground by flight.
Spiders usually create small colonies in which no more than 20 individuals live. Their web can be entangled with several plants in a row. Such tactics help you to catch a victim for sure. The fixing of the main threads is observed on the stems. The cells of the networks are quite small, differing in the beauty of the pattern, in principle, this is typical for all orbits.
The spider spends almost all of his free time either in the weaving of the web, or in anticipation of his victim. Usually they sit in the center of their spider web trap or in its lower part. Morning and evening hours, as well as night time, become for this arachnid rest time. He was sluggish and inactive at that time.
Often people wonder - Agriope's spider is poisonous or not? The answer always sounds yes. Like many arachnids Agriope is poisonous. For many living things, his bite can be fatal.
As for humans, deaths after bite of man Agriope in practice was not observed. In fact, the arachnid can bite, especially the female. But its poison for humans is not so strong.
At the site of the bite, redness and swelling appears; in some cases, this place may become numb. After a couple of hours, the pain subsides, and the tumor disappears after a couple of days. A spider is dangerous to people suffering from allergies from insect bites.
In general, this is a very calm and peaceful creature, if not touched. It has been observed that females do not bite when they are sitting on their web. But, if you take them in hand, then they can bite.
There are many varieties of this spider. Many of them can be seen in terrariums. For example, it is very popular among people who are accustomed to breed outlandish creatures at home. Agriope lobulated or Agriope lobata.
Reproduction and longevity
The mating season in spiders begins in mid-summer. From this time, the wandering of spiders in search of a female begins. Often they get into the living room, trying to hide. The breeding season is an increased danger for males, which may lose their limbs and even life.
The thing is that the aggressiveness of the female increases after mating has occurred. This feature is not observed in all species of Agriope. Among them are those who live with each other until the end of their days.
A month after mating, the female is laying eggs, forming a brown cocoon for them. The appearance of young spiders from it is observed next spring. The female dies after the appearance of the offspring.
From the foregoing, it should be concluded that Agriopa does not constitute a great danger to man; he should not be exterminated at a meeting. Also, do not bother and worry about the ruined web accidentally caught in the way of it. These arachnids can make such a masterpiece in literally an hour, or even less.
Agriope nutrition
Most often, grasshoppers, flies, mosquitoes become victims of cobwebs located a short distance from the ground. However, no matter what the insect falls into the trap, the spider will enjoy it. As soon as the victim touches the silk threads and adheres securely to them, argiope approaches her and launches poison. After its impact, the insect ceases to resist, the spider calmly winds it with a dense cocoon of web and immediately eats it.
Spider argiope lobata engaged in the installation of traps in most cases in the evening. The whole process takes him about an hour. The result is a fairly large round web, in the center of which is the stabilization (zigzag pattern, which consists of clearly visible threads).
This is a hallmark of almost all the orbits, but the argiope stands out here too - its network is adorned for stabilization. They begin in the center of the trap and diverge to its edges.
Having finished work, the spider takes its place in the center, arranging the limbs in its own way - two left and two right front legs, as well as two left and two right hind legs so close that you can take the insect from afar for the letter X hanging on the web. Preferred Brynnichi argiope food is Orthoptera, but the spider does not disdain any other.
In the photo, a web of argiopes with stabilization
The pronounced zigzag stabilization reflects ultraviolet light, thereby trapping the victims of the spider. The meal itself often takes place already on the ground, where the spider descends, leaving a web, in order to feast on a secluded place, without unnecessary observers.
What is an argiope spider?
Due to its color, the argiope spider bears such names as:
However, its biological name is “Argiope Bruennich”, which the spider received in honor of the Dane under the name Morten Trane Bruennich, who lived in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and was at one time a very famous scientist in the field of zoology and mineralogy.
First, let's look at what argiope looks like in the photo.
Biological characteristics
In the official biological language, argiope belongs to the family of orbiting spiders. This family is characterized by the manufacture of a large circular hunting net with a pronounced spiral-like stabilization in the center. This part of the web is clearly visible in ultraviolet rays, which are distinguishable by many insects, and therefore stabilization is so attractive to different insects and bugs.
Reference! Stabilization - web threads forming a zigzag pattern.
Appearance
According to the description, the argiope spider is indeed similar to a wasp or zebra. On the body of the arthropod, an alternation of black and yellow stripes is clearly expressed, however, this is inherent only to females. Males of this species are small and nondescript.
In spiders of Brunnich's argiope, pronounced dimorphism is observed. The female has a body size of 15-30 millimeters long, while the male argiope barely reaches half a centimeter.
Lifestyle
An ordinary colony of argiop settles in forests or meadows. where there are massive years of potential victims. The size of one settlement is usually about two dozen spiders.
A yellow striped spider weaves its web in the twilight evening time. He spends no more than one hour on the manufacture of his trap. After the web is woven, its owner is placed in the center of the network and, having taken the form of the letter "X", expects a victim.
It should be noted that the hunting network of argiopes is very beautiful, it is distinguished by the presence of a pronounced circular shape and small cells through which even the smallest mosquito can not break through.
Are argiopes biting?
There is a category of people who definitely need to put their hand somewhere: in an anthill, in a bee hive or a hornet's nest. Such curious heroes do not ask questions about whether certain representatives of the fauna bite, they can feel everything in their own skin.
For the rest, we inform you that if you put your hand into the web, intentionally or accidentally, the spider will immediately respond and bite. An argiope bite is quite painful and comparable to a bee or hornet. The fact is that the aspen spider has rather strong jaws, and it is able to deepen them quite strongly under the skin. In addition, do not forget about its poison.
Many people ask whether the Brunnich argiope is poisonous or not. Of course poisonous, because with its poison it kills its victims. Another thing is that in most cases for humans this poison is practically not dangerous.
The consequences of a spider’s careless check on the reaction rate can be different. Most adults have a slight swelling of the skin around the bitten place, which disappears after an hour or two and does not even itch. In some cases, redness and swelling can subside only after a day, and the bite site is very itchy.
Another thing is if the spider has bitten a child or a person with an increased allergic reaction to spider venom or the fact of a bite. In this case, there may be more pronounced dangerous symptoms:
- severe swelling of the bite,
- increase in body temperature to 40-41 degrees,
- nausea,
- dizziness.
In this case, of course, you need to immediately interrupt the walk and immediately contact the nearest medical facility or emergency substation, where the person will be provided with competent emergency medical care.
Attention! The body's response to a bite can be unpredictable. Do not be negligent in relation to your health.
Introducing a video on how an argiope spider sucks its victim. In the center of the web, stabilization is clearly visible:
Argiope - black and yellow striped spider
In various sources there were such nicknames as “spider-wasp”, “spider-zebra” and even “spider-tiger”.
Spider argiope - one of the most beautiful arthropods found in our latitudes. In terms of attractiveness, it’s comparable to it, except that a ladybug spider, but the latter is a rare species, but argiope lives everywhere.
However, as it usually happens, I first met him not at all near the house, but far away in the Voronezh region under dramatic circumstances: an argiope spider appeared before me in all its black and yellow striped splendor when I dragged my bike onto the slope of the ravine near Don River. Of course, the bicycle was immediately abandoned, and the camera was taken, but the enchanting photo shoot did not work: evening came, and fellow travelers rushed, so here:
He returned home proud. I think, they say, what rare and unique I caught a spider and photographed. And then it turns out that every second of my friends saw such spiders, and a few years ago my uncle (in our garden!) Lived calmly the argiope on a peony bush for a whole summer!
Well, enough lyrics, let's get some facts ...
Black-and-yellow striped spider or argiope: how it looks, whether their bite is poisonous, first aid
Spiders are frightening creatures, especially for individuals of exotic black and yellow color. If a domestic brown spider is a familiar thing and its appearance does not cause much fear, but arthropods with yellow and black stripes on their abdomen can surprise and ponder if this is a representative of animals.
Not many people know what colorful spiders are, what they eat and whether they can harm, but this does not change what meets with such a bright view, everyone can.
A spider is not uncommon in our area and it is better to familiarize yourself with the features of this arthropod in advance for your own development and in order to understand how to respond to a meeting with it.
Black and yellow striped spider or argiope - description
The genus Argiope consists of 80 species, which are attributed to the characteristic black and yellow color, belong to the family of orbiting spiders. In Russia, it will not work to meet all these species, but Argiope Brunnich often catches the eye of Russians.
The male of such a spider reaches a size of 2.5-3 cm in length, if you count the limbs. Females have large parameters; therefore, they always exceed the size of males by 4–5 times. Agriopa's cephalothorax is covered with thick, short, silvery hairs.
The animal looks like a wasp in color and has an elongated abdomen, so from a distance it is quite possible to confuse them. Spiders have elongated legs with dark bandages.
These characteristic features are determined by Agriop:
- The color of the abdomen in the spider has yellow-black-and-white stripes that alternate with each other. Such spiders are considered predators that paralyze victims with the help of poison.
- The web that such arthropods weaves is attributed to the radial appearance, its representatives of the genus weave obliquely so that the victim does not exactly escape.
- After mating, the female devours the partner.
Where does he live?
You can meet such a bright spider in subtropical and steppe zones, as predators love warmth. Although recently, in other regions of Russia, he had to learn to take root, so you can notice a bee spider in the capital.
The animal prefers to settle in dense shrubs or grass copra that are located in open and well-lit areas of parks or flower beds.
When do argiopes bite?
Although the wasp spider is extremely toxic, its harm to humans is minimal. People are frightening for agriopes, since arthropods see danger in man. And the human skin for such spiders is too thick and they can’t bite through it. Most likely, when meeting a predator, he will run away or pretend that he died a long time ago.
But, if you touch the animal with your bare hands, it will certainly bite, which will cause tangible pain.
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First aid for a bite
If the spider is still bitten, panic is not worth it, but inaction can also hurt.
Recommendations for actions with a bite:
- The first thing to do is disinfect the bite site. Wipe the affected area with alcoholized cotton wool. If there is no alcohol, you can use a solution with soda or wash the required area well with laundry soap.
- You can make a compress and apply something cold to the bite, ideally hold a piece of ice on the damaged area.
- If possible, it is better for the victim to immediately swallow an antihistamine.
- Bitten should drink water in large quantities.
If the patient has symptoms of an allergic reaction, you must immediately call an ambulance.
It is better to keep the argiope belnichia in a special terrarium, with dimensions of at least 20x30 centimeters and a height of more than 20 centimeters. The cover of such housing should be mesh, so that the predator had something to breathe.
The substrate for filling can be ordinary earth or a special coconut filler for arachnids. To arrange comfortable spider housing, you can place dry vine branches inside the terrarium so that the spider can easily weave cobwebs.
A spider-wasp needs to be provided with room temperature and modest humidity, since excessive can even kill it. The predator is fed at least 2 times a day, preferably in the morning or in the evening. As food for a "pet" it is better to choose a special feed from any pet store, it is better to refuse ordinary insects.
In the terrarium you need to put a small container with water, it can serve as a regular lid with a plastic bottle. Weekly, the top filler needs to be changed, as the arthropod representative loves cleanliness.
Danger to humans
According to scientists, the poison secreted by a spider during a bite cannot harm a person. It acts as a protective mechanism and is dangerous only for insects that are hunted by the argiope Brunnich.
The bite of this spider is not dangerous for life, but causes prolonged pain
But this does not mean that the arthropod will not bite a person who intentionally or accidentally tries to pick it up and break into the web. The bite is comparable to the hornet by the nature of the pain due to the strong jaws of the arachnid and the ingestion of poison under the skin of a person. In most cases, the pain disappears in 1-2 hours.
A hyperemic spot and swelling may form at the site of the bite. The reaction of the body depends on the predisposition to an allergic reaction and the state of the immune system. Especially dangerous are such bites for people allergic to insect venom., as well as for young children with immature immunity.
A spider cannot cause a person’s death, but if severe itching, burning, swelling and hyperemia occur at the site of a bite, it is recommended to consult a specialist. This is especially necessary if dizziness, weakness, nausea, or a critical decrease in blood pressure join the symptoms.
Argiope Brunnich - arachnid with a unique color and lifestyle. If you stay at a distance from its networks and do not try to harm, the spider is not dangerous to human life and health.