Nephila clavipes
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 La Selva OTS, Costa Rica
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| Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus, 1767) |
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Aranea clavipes |
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.
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 the way inside the body to the site where it was severed from. With a tensile strength of 4x109 N/m, it exceeds that of steel by a factor of six. It is not recognized by the immune system and has antibacterial properties. (Allmeling et. al. 2006)
[edit] References
- Allmeling, C., Jokuszies, A., Reimers, K., Kall, S., Vogt, P.M. (2006): Use of spider silk fibres as an innovative material in a biocompatible artificial nerve conduit. J. Cell. Mol. Med. 10(3):770-777 PDF - DOI:10.2755/jcmm010.003.18
[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 |
