Sunday, April 11, 2010

What Spider is this?

Anyone know which species of spider this is?

It was in west central Florida - near Crystal River, Levy County.

I'm guessing Gea heptagon, but haven't seen one quite like this one - with so many numerous huge spines...








Posted by Johnny at 10:57 PM

3 comments:

  1. Florida Nature PhotographyApril 23, 2010 at 3:11 PM

    I've been looking this one up for a while..... I think it is far too big to be Gea heptagon, and my best guess is that it is a remarkably and unusually shaped Argiope argentata. I've seen quite a large variation in individuals from the Everglades to the Apalachicola National Forest. This one looks to be almost close enough for a match - possibly it has eaten a huge meal or is gravid? That's the best I can come up with..... please let me know if you secure a positive ID.

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  2. JohnnyMay 24, 2010 at 8:14 AM

    Thanks Rich – I’m guessing that you’re right.

    I’ll keep ya posted if I hear anything else.


    Thanks!

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  3. Chuck WildJanuary 11, 2012 at 2:49 PM

    That's Acanthepeira, possibly Acanthepeira stellata (most common species), but there are several members of that genus in the United States. The prosoma (head region) isn't consistent with Argiope as far as shape and color of setae. Hope that helps!

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