# Spider.... not a frog



## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

Any ideas on this girl? I took a field trip last weekend and got some good herp pics but this big girl (I think) was by far the most interesting. 










Ed


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

I think it is a black-and-yellow Argiope.


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

Forgot to say that it is a female. Very cool spider, and I love the zig-zag they make down the middle of their webs.


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

Thanks Jon, I was fixing the link when you answered. She was huge, at least 3 inches across. 
Ed


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

Yeah, they are a very large spider... but don't really leave their web (from what I know) so not very threatening. This also allows you to get very close to take pics. I have some pics of these or another similar species myself, but from NC. Great picture by the way.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

So how big was that thing?


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## TonyT (Feb 16, 2004)

Scare me :shock: MAn i hate spiders. I will hurt myself getting away from them. Especially when they look like that. LOL

TonyT


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2004)

That is a garden spider... at least that is the name in these here parts..
Or you could call it... _Argiope aurantia_
http://www.wellesley.edu/Activities/homepage/web/Species/aspidergarden.html


edit... Had wrong species... Argiope is correct...


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## Bry (Feb 18, 2004)

I know a guy, a spider hobbyist, who has a free-roaming pet Argiope just like the one in your pic. It built a web in the corner of his computer room and just never leaves the web. Aside from the occasional house fly that flies into the web, he tosses an occasional cricket here and there into the web. Pretty interesting stuff.

Bry


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

The body of the spider was 2" -3" , it was set up on the edge of a small pool in a soybean field that had thousands of Bufo americanus tads in it and many adults around it. There were 2 smaller spiders in their own webs at other spots near this pool. It had a pretty good setup and I'm sure will have some of the toadlets when they morph out. 

I like spiders in my frog room, they take care of the fruit fly escapees but this girl was too darn big!

Ed


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

TonyT said:


> Scare me :shock: MAn i hate spiders. I will hurt myself getting away from them. Especially when they look like that. LOL
> 
> TonyT


I know how you feel, i was walking through the swamp, nearly smacked my face into a huge banana spider several times, cant even see their web. They just seem to float there. Biggest spiders ive seen.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Your kidding right?



Bry said:


> I know a guy, a spider hobbyist, who has a free-roaming pet Argiope just like the one in your pic. It built a web in the corner of his computer room and just never leaves the web. Aside from the occasional house fly that flies into the web, he tosses an occasional cricket here and there into the web. Pretty interesting stuff.
> 
> Bry


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

I know of another insect hobbyist that has some free roaming spiders. It really isn't anything to fear, especially since the type of sider pictured here (as well as the one the insect hobbyist I know has) doesn't really leave their webs. Plus their venom isn't anything to worry about, speaking of the Argiope.


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

The only thing to fear is being creeped out by them! 

Not my bag baby.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

> That is a garden spider... at least that is the name in these here parts..


You took the words right out of my mouth.


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