Image: Argiope catenulata at Kadavoor

Description: Argiope catenulata, also known as the Grass cross spider, is a species of Orb spider ranging from India to the Philippines to Papua New Guinea. Like other species of the same genus, it builds a web with a zig-zag stabilimentum. Argiope catenulata is a colorful spider. The female's cephalothorax is yellow with black eye margins. Its abdomen is oblong with a black and silvery-whitish yellow dorsal pattern. Brown patches of irregular shapes are present from the median of the opisthosoma (abdomen) to the posterior side. The legs are black with thin white rings. The male is smaller than the female. It has a brownish red to yellowish brown cephalothorax with black eye margins. Its abdomen is yellowish with a dorsal pattern as in the female. The legs are yellowish brown. They are web builders, the circular webs have zigzag webbing known as white stabilimenta making them sticky. They are common in all rice environments. They are late colonizers of rice fields and are found with their heads hanging down in their webs.
Title: Argiope catenulata at Kadavoor
Credit: Own work
Author: Jeevan Jose
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