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SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARGIOPE SPIDER Argiope bruennichi
Argiope bruennichi is a very distinctive
spider, about the size of a large garden
spider. Argiope has always been a very
rare spider in Britain, confined to within
a few miles of the south coast of
England in Dorset, Hampshire and the
Isle of Wight, with older records for
East Sussex and East Kent. However it
now seems to be undergoing a dramatic
expansion in its range and the spider
has now turned up in Surrey, north
Kent, both the south and north of Essex
and Derbyshire (see Essex Field Club
Newsletter 27: 6-7 November 1998).
You
can help track its spread in
Essex by looking out for the spider in
the late summer - early autumn period.
Although very distinctive, with the tranverse yellow abdominal stripes and the zig-zag
'stabilimentum' or thick band of silk on its web, the spider is still easy to miss amongst the
tall vegetation. Unmanaged grassland areas, rough grassland still uncut into late autumn,
tall grassland at the edges of hedges, uncut seawalls or areas behind sea walls and even
some roadside verges may be worth investigating. In Hastings the spider has been found
on some allotments so these again may be worth investigation in Essex.
You can also help with investigations into its ecology:
for example,
• When do the eggs hatch and what do the spiderlings and juveniles feed on?
• What range of prey is used by the adults?
• How vailable are the webs in size and position in the habitat?
• Marking individuals could be used to investigate how often juveniles and adults
rebuild and relocate their webs.
• How exactly does the spider use its web to catch prey e.g. John Lamoureux in Essex
has noticed the spider ties back the tall grass stems so that its web is situated in an
open space within the tall grass.
• Is there any association between the presence of a stabilimentum or how obvious it is
and the habitat or aspect of the web. Is there evidence that the stabilimentum is to
prevent birds destroying the web?
• What other spider species occur in the same habitat. Is there competition between
species for web sites and prey?
Please send any records, observations or reports to Peter Harvey, 32 Lodge Lane, Grays,
Essex RM16 2YP
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 29, May 1999