Nephila clavipes

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iNephila clavipes

La Selva OTS, Costa Rica

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Suborder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Tetragnathidae
Genus:	Nephila
Species:	N. clavipes

Binomial name

Nephila clavipes
(Linnaeus, 1767)

Synonyms

Aranea clavipes
Aranea spinimobilis
Aranea longimana
Epeira clavipes
Nephila plumipes
Epeira plumipes
Nephila wilderi
Nephila wistariana
Nephila concolor
Nephila thomensis

Nephila clavipes 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.

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 sack on a tree, laying hundreds of eggs in one sack. This species is not venomous to humans.

[edit] External links

Mating pair
Pictures of N. clavipes (free for noncommercial use)

[edit] Gallery

Female weaving	Male (upper) and female (lower). Note the golden color of their web.	Male mating with the female while she eats a bee.	Showing the transition from the old web (left) to the newly woven web (right)
Female on web