Argiope argentata: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the argiope argentata lives – recorded in 24 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Argiope argentata
Group	Spiders, scorpions & other arachnids
Found in	24 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Class	Arachnid
Order	Araneida
Family	Araneidae

Where does the argiope argentata live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the argiope argentata in 24 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Texas, Chapada dos Guimarães.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the argiope argentata?

The argiope argentata (Argiope argentata) is an arachnid in the order Araneida and the family Araneidae, genus Argiope. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the argiope argentata

Argiope argentata, commonly known as the silver argiope or silver garden spider due to the silvery color of its cephalothorax, is a member of the orb-weaver spider family Araneidae. This species resides in arid and warm environments in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and widely across South America. In the United States, it is found at least in Southern California, Florida, Arizona, and Texas. A. argentata create stabilimenta and a unique zig-zag in its web design, and it utilizes its UV-reflecting silk to attract pollinating species to prey upon. Like other species of Argiope, its venom is not harmful to humans; however, it can be employed to immobilize its prey. A. argentata engages in sexual cannibalism either mid- or post-copulation. One aspect of particular interest regarding this species is its extinction patterns, which notably have minimal correlation with its population size but rather occur sporadically for the species.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Argiope argentata (revision 1335208068), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q138440 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).