Argiope male

Argiope

Identification - Argiope sp. St Andrews cross spider Male.

I took this photograph purely for my own records, but ended up liking it more than my other offerings.

The patterned potion of web is around half inch across, so the arachnid is very small, as is the case with male argiopes. As with nephila males, it is going to be difficult to ID, as all the males of the different species look quite the same.

There are many theories why the argiope makes a pattern at the center of the web. The larger females often weave a cross shape, which is how they acquire their name, 'St Andrews cross spider'. Some scientists theorize that it is to do with ultra violet reflection attracting insects to the web - who knows!

Dave