Spiders of North Carolina

Arachnids of North Carolina

Order:
Scientific Name: Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

Argiope trifasciata - Banded garden spider, Banded Argiope Araneidae Members:			NC Records	BugGuide Account	Public View

Start Discussion

Distribution Records
PDF

Vetting Levels

Adult phenology:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge

synonym

taxonomic_comments

species_comment

Latin: "three-banded", from tres- "three" + fasciatus- "enveloped in bands, swathed"

id_comments

Large oval abdomen is crossed by a series of narrow black lines, with silver or yellow bands in between. Some females are so densely hairy that the bands are indistinct. The cephalothorax is silvery. On the underside of the abdomen there are two light lines with a dark area in the center that has six of eight small white spots. The legs are pale orange banded with black. The male is proportionately much smaller than the females.

total_length

Large, Female total body length 15.0-25.0 mm, Male total body length 4.0-5.5 mph

structural_features

silk_web

Large orb web, up to two feet in diameter.

fld_guide_descriptions

online_photos

prey

predators

behavior

Diurnal. Web may be up to two feet in diameter. Egg sac, which may contain more than 1000 eggs, is about 18 mm in diameter and is shaped like a cup or a kettledrum, not spherical, as is that of Argiope aurantia. Visual surveys. Banded garden spiders almost always “orient their webs along an east-to-west axis but place themselves in the webs with their abdomens facing south.” This position helps them absorb as much of the sun’s heat as possible. Temperature is one of the major factors for spiders, especially for them to be active late in the year. Like the other garden spiders, banded garden spiders also build stabilimenta which look similar to the silver garden spider’s, but is less prominent in the web.

distribution_reference

technical_reference

Spiders of North America - Bradley; Spiders of the Carolinas – Gaddy; Bugguide

adult_id

1 identifiable by photo 2 identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info 3 identifiable from specimen only

abundance

Common

distribution_comments

Widespread throughout North Carolina and the United States. Adults July-November.

checklist_mt_high
>=4,000 ft.

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom	Frequency Regular – almost always observed on given visit; >=90% chance of observation Frequent – usually observed on a given visit; >=50%<90% chance of observation Infrequent – observed less than 50% of visits; >=25%<50% chance of observation Occasional – observed on only on a small minority of visits; >=10%<25% chance of observation Seldom – not usually seen on visits; <10% chance of observation These terms refer to visits to appropriate habitats made at appropriate times of the year, making use of common sampling/observation methods. Under those conditions, Frequency refers to the chance of observing at least one individual on a given visit made anywhere within a particular region, or over multiple visits to a single site.

checklist_mt_low
<4,000 ft.

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

checklist_pd
Piedmont

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

checklist_cp
Coastal Plain

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

habitat

Open areas, old fields, shrubby areas, gardens, marsh or pond edges etc. with tall grass. Webs tend to be more hidden than those of aurantia.

observation_methods

Visual observation.

state_protection

NHP_ranks

NHP_status

status_comments

Photo Gallery for Argiope trifasciata Banded garden spider, Banded Argiope
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Columbus Co. Comment: 2 large females observed.	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Columbus Co. Comment: 2 large females observed.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Columbus Co. Comment: 2 large females observed.	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Female.	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Carteret Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jeff Beane Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Shawn Miller Robeson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Joseph Guillemette Wayne Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Joseph Guillemette Wayne Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Joseph Guillemette Wayne Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn New Hanover Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Surry Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jeff Beane Wilkes Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Beane Ashe Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Vin Stanton Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J.Williams Vance Co. Comment: KELA	Recorded by: J.Williams Vance Co. Comment: KELA
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment:	Recorded by: FKW Gates Co. Comment: MEMI
	Recorded by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:

Photo Gallery for Argiope trifasciata Banded garden spider, Banded Argiope