Argiope bruennichi

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Argiope bruennichi
Dorsal side
Ventral side with prey
in Hungary
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Argiope
Species:
A. Bruennichi
Binomial name
Argiope Bruennichi
(Scopoli, 1772)
Synonyms
List
    • Aranea brünnichii
    • Aranea speciosa
    • Aranea fasciata
    • Aranea zebra
    • Aranea formosa
    • Aranea pulchra
    • Aranea caspia
    • Aranea phragmitis
    • Segestria pulchra
    • Miranda transalpina
    • Epeira speciosa
    • Nephila transalpina
    • Epeira fasciata
    • Nephila fasciata
    • Miranda zabonica
    • Argiope brünnichi
    • Argiope bruennichii

Argiope bruennichi, commonly known as the wasp spider, is a species of orb-web spider found across Central and Northern Europe, North Africa, parts of Asia, and the Azores archipelago.[1] Like many other members of the genus Argiope, including the St. Andrew's Cross spider, Argiope bruennichi features distinctive yellow and black markings on its abdomen.

Web[edit]

The spider builds a spiral orb web at dawn or dusk, most often in long grass just above ground level. The zigzag-shaped web decoration, named the stabilimentum, is featured at the centre of the orb. Its function is not currently known, though it is often shown that webs containing stabilimenta are damaged less often by birds flying through them.[2][3]

When prey gets trapped in the web, the spider immobilizes it by wrapping it in silk. The prey is then bitten and injected with a paralyzing venom and a protein-dissolving enzyme.

Population[edit]

During the Summer of 2006, research found there had been an influx of wasp spiders in the UK.[4] The colouration of this population is similar, although the yellow stripes are more cream-coloured.

Besides the nominate subspecies, there is one subspecies currently recognized:

Sexual dimorphism[edit]

Argiope bruennichi are distinct between males and females. The males averaged a length of approximately 4.5 mm and the females averaged 15 mm.[5] The reasons for these differences in size seem to have evolutionary and fitness backgrounds, with regard to mating, as well as females cannibalizing males after copulation.

Mating[edit]

Egg sac
Wasp Spider Nest, Bulbous bulb silk nest 1

The size difference of the male spiders allows males to come into contact with females, in relation to their orb webs. The male Argiope, the bruthe ennichi, enters into a female's orb undetected, and so can make their webs without being detected as prey by the females, and eaten before they are able to mate; a major fitness advantage.[5]

Plugging[edit]

Certain male Argiope bruennichi have developed an adaptation to ensure that they are the only male whom the female can produce offspring with. Certain males are able to "plug" the female after they have mated with her to prevent other males from copulating with the female. This plugging involves losing one of his pedipalps, thus allowing him to mate only twice. This explains the rushed behaviour a male exhibits after the female has completed her final moult.[6] With males always waiting around for the females to reach full maturity, the race is on for the male who is small enough to not be detected, yet is also able to "plug" the female, as to prevent other males from reproducing with the same female. Because of the damage caused to the male spiders when this act takes place, these spiders are usually monogamous.

If the females are only able to reproduce once, they must develop a method to produce more offspring at one time (per clutch). This can be caused by multiple things, including a sex ratio that forces these males to make sure they have at least one female to produce their offspring simply because there are not as many females present.[7] If these females are only able to mate once, they need to develop this larger clutch size to ensure that their genes are passed down based on the survivability of her first clutch.

Effects of micronutrients[edit]

Females that consumed a small supplement of dietary essential amino acids produced offspring that survived simulated overwintering conditions significantly longer than offspring of other treatments. Results suggest that dietary essential amino acids, which may be sequestered by males from their diet, could be valuable supplements that increase the success of the offspring of cannibalistic females.[8]

Cannibalism[edit]

Argiope bruennichi participate in sexual cannibalism. The females of this species, typically much larger than the males, almost always consume their male counterparts after copulation.[9][6]

To combat this, males often wait in or near an immature female's web until she completes her final moult and reaches sexual maturity. After moulting, the female's chelicerae will be soft for a short period and the male may mate without the danger of being eaten.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Argiope bruennichi at the Azorean Biodiversity Portal". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  2. ^ "Banded Garden Spider: Argiope trifasciata". North American Insects and Spiders. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  3. ^ Blackledge, Todd; Wenzel, John (1 July 1999). "Do stabilimenta in orb webs attract prey or defend spiders?". Oxford Academic. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Jonathan Amos (3 October 2006). "If one crawls across the carpet..." BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b Mark A. Elgar (1991). "Sexual cannibalism, size dimorphism, and courtship behavior in orb-weaving spiders (Araneidae)". Evolution. 45 (2): 444–448. doi:10.2307/2409679. JSTOR 2409679. PMID 28567867.
  6. ^ a b Stefan H. Nessler; Gabriele Uhl & Jutta M. Schneider (2006). "Genital damage in the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi (Araneae: Araneidae) increases paternity success". Behavioral Ecology. 18 (1): 174–181. doi:10.1093/beheco/arl074.
  7. ^ Jutta Schneider & Lutz Fromhage (2010). "Monogynous mating strategies in spiders". In Peter Kappeler (ed.). Animal Behaviour: Evolution and Mechanisms. Springer. pp. 441–464. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-02624-9_15. ISBN 978-3-642-02623-2.
  8. ^ Shawn M. Wilder & Jutta M. Schneider (2017). "Micronutrient consumption by female Argiope bruennichi affects offspring survival". Journal of Insect Physiology. 100: 128–132. doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.06.007. PMID 28614727.
  9. ^ Lutz Fromhage; Gabriele Uhl & Jutta M. Schneider (2003). "Fitness consequences of sexual cannibalism in female Argiope bruennichi". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 55 (1): 60–64. doi:10.1007/s00265-003-0656-6. S2CID 9215208.
  10. ^ "Wasp spider | The Wildlife Trusts". www.wildlifetrusts.org. Retrieved 2023-09-15.

External links[edit]

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