Argiope picta

Argiope picta
	Argiope picta female dorsal view, Cairns
	Ventral view of the same spider
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Argiope
Species:	A. picta
Binomial name
	Argiope picta; L. Koch, 1871
Synonyms
	A. gorgonea; A. principalis; A. lugubris; Gea dubiosa; Chaetargiope picta;

Argiope picta is a species of orb web spider found in tropical areas of Queensland, Australia and Papua New Guinea up to the Moluccas.^[1] This species is similar in size to the sympatric Argiope aetherea; females can be distinguished from those of A. aetherea via extensive differences in abdominal colouration and patterns. The males of these two species are almost indistinguishable.^[2]

Little is known about the biology of A. picta. However, like most orb-web spiders, males are much smaller than females. Females of this species construct web decorations. Spiders from Australia mostly construct their decorations in a vertical line above and below the centre of the web (hub), whereas those from Papua New Guinea construct the characteristic “X” shape of St Andrew's Cross spiders. It is not known why these different decoration patterns appear in the same species, but it may be related to habitat differences.

Gallery

Dorsal view, Queensland
Female immobilizing prey by wrapping a curtain of silk around the insect for later consumption
Adult female in north Queensland with two segments of its stabilimentum arranged vertically
Ventral view of the same spider two days later