Help identifying spider - Ask Extension
Hi, I found a spider at a rental property we stayed at in North Carolina. Can anyone help tell me what kind this is?
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Help identifying spider #593787
Asked September 01, 2019, 9:00 PM EDT
Hi, I found a spider at a rental property we stayed at in North Carolina. Can anyone help tell me what kind this is?
New Hanover County North Carolina
Expert Response
Thank you for your question. This is one of my favorite spiders. The Golden Silk Orbweaver (Nephila clavipes). It is also referred to as the Banana Spider in some areas.
This spider ranges from South America up the eastern coast of the U.S. where it reaches its maximum northern range just inside North Carolina. They are common in the Charleston, SC area. I have seen numerous females in the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston.
This spider in your photo is a female. You can tell by her large size. Female body length ranges typically from 20 - 40 mm, although lengths of 45 mm have been recorded. Because of the length and shape of the their bodies, another common name for this spider is the banana spider. Females also have tufts of long, spiny hair on leg pairs I, II and IV, which can easily be seen in your photo. Males are only about a tenth of the female's size. Females' webs can be up to 6 feet across!! The webs are so large, that other species of small spiders live on the web and eat pieces of food that are too small for the golden silk orbweaver to be interested in. The spider gets its common name from the fact that the strands of silk she extrudes to construct her web are golden yellow. The strands are known for their strength and stickyness.
Because males are so much smaller than the females, they have to be very careful not to be eaten by the female when they attempt to mate. They sometimes wait to approach until the female is distracted by feeding on a large insect. In our area, females live only for a year. Males live for a few weeks. In the tropics, females probably live for several years.
Like most spiders, this species is venomous, but is not considered a risk to human health. They don't bite unless you try to restrain them, and the effects of their bite are said to be less serious than a bee sting.
For some additional information on this species, see the following websites:
University of Florida Entomology Dept.:http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/golden_silk_spider.htm
Galveston County Texas Master Gardeners' Beneficials in the Garden: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-49_banana_spider.htm
An excellent field guide that deals just with spiders of the Carolinas is:
Spiders of the Carolinas by L. L. Gaddy.
Hope this answers your question, and thanks for using Ask an Expert.
Jim
This spider ranges from South America up the eastern coast of the U.S. where it reaches its maximum northern range just inside North Carolina. They are common in the Charleston, SC area. I have seen numerous females in the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston.
This spider in your photo is a female. You can tell by her large size. Female body length ranges typically from 20 - 40 mm, although lengths of 45 mm have been recorded. Because of the length and shape of the their bodies, another common name for this spider is the banana spider. Females also have tufts of long, spiny hair on leg pairs I, II and IV, which can easily be seen in your photo. Males are only about a tenth of the female's size. Females' webs can be up to 6 feet across!! The webs are so large, that other species of small spiders live on the web and eat pieces of food that are too small for the golden silk orbweaver to be interested in. The spider gets its common name from the fact that the strands of silk she extrudes to construct her web are golden yellow. The strands are known for their strength and stickyness.
Because males are so much smaller than the females, they have to be very careful not to be eaten by the female when they attempt to mate. They sometimes wait to approach until the female is distracted by feeding on a large insect. In our area, females live only for a year. Males live for a few weeks. In the tropics, females probably live for several years.
Like most spiders, this species is venomous, but is not considered a risk to human health. They don't bite unless you try to restrain them, and the effects of their bite are said to be less serious than a bee sting.
For some additional information on this species, see the following websites:
University of Florida Entomology Dept.:http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/golden_silk_spider.htm
Galveston County Texas Master Gardeners' Beneficials in the Garden: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-49_banana_spider.htm
An excellent field guide that deals just with spiders of the Carolinas is:
Spiders of the Carolinas by L. L. Gaddy.
Hope this answers your question, and thanks for using Ask an Expert.
Jim
