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Golden orb-web spider

Nephila clavipes

Description:

Nephila clavipes (Lat. clavis = key or hook; pedis = of or pertaining to a foot {genitive case of pēs}) is a species of golden orb-web spider. It lives in the warmer regions of the Americas. The large size and bright colours of the species make it distinctive. The female is much larger than the male. In the United States, it ranges throughout the coastal southeast and inland, from North Carolina to Texas. Its distribution in many regions seems localized, and it may be completely absent (or just hard to find) over wide areas. Conversely, in some arboreal or swampy nooks, adults and their webs can be found in large concentrations, especially near the coast. Golden orb-weavers are especially numerous in the time after summer and before fall in the Southeastern and Southern United States. This species is widespread — and often common — in large parts of Central America and warmer regions of South America. The web of a mature female can reach one meter in width, the yellow threads appearing as a rich gold in sunlight. Males come into the female's web for copulating. After mating, the female spins an egg sac on a tree, laying hundreds of eggs in one sac. While it is venomous to humans, it will only bite if pinched. The bite is usually relatively harmless and only leads to slight redness and localized pain. The silk of N. clavipes has recently been used to help in mammalian neuronal regeneration. In vitro experiments showed that a single thread of silk can lead a severed neuron through the body to the site from which it was severed. With a tensile strength of 4×109 N/m2, it exceeds that of steel by a factor of six. It is not recognized by the immune system.

Notes:

Suspended from fine silk and in this offensive posture, this big spider was searching for an unknown source of disturbance on its web. It was not a mosquito, it was not a moth. It was me :D making way for the camera. Not being able to locate the source of vibration on the web often perplex and frustrate spiders of this kind causing them to shake their whole web violently back and forth for several minutes hoping to put off the threat.

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dotun55
Spotted by
dotun55

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Spotted on Dec 22, 2012
Submitted on Mar 31, 2013

Spotted for Mission

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Nephila Spider (Female) Nephila Spider Nephila vitiana Nephila clavipes

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Reference

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