Argiope aetherea


Argiope aetherea is a common, large orb-web spider. Like other species of Argiope, it is commonly known as the St Andrew's Cross spider, due to the characteristic cross-shaped web decorations female spiders often include in their webs. A. aetherea is similar in appearance to A. keyserlingi, however female A. aetherea are generally larger than A. keyserlingi. Like most orb-web spiders, A. aetherea shows considerable sexual size dimorphism, with females being many times larger than males.

Distribution

Argiope aetherea is found from China to Australia.

Subspecies

There exists a subspecies from New Guinea:Argiope aetherea annulipes Thorell, 1881