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Mabel Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta)

Behold the mabel orchard orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), one of the world's most beautiful spiders! The dorsal side of the abdomen is shiny like a mirror, hence the generic name Leucauge, which means "with a bright gleam." The ventral side is adorned with speckles of green, streaks of yellow, and bright orange patches — a spectacular display that hopefully even the most fearful arachnophobes can appreciate. The spider hangs from the hub of its web with its ventral side pointed up, much like the black widow. However, black widows reside in messy cobwebs, whereas orchard spiders build horizontal orb webs.


Mabel orchard orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), female spider in web. Osceola County, Florida, USA.
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Mabel orchard orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), female spider with her orb web clearly visible. Osceola County, Florida, USA.
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Mabel orchard orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), crop of the previous photo showing the trichobothria, or elongated setae, which help the spider to sense vibrations.
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Mabel orchard orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), ventral view of the spider suspended in her web. Osceola County, Florida, USA.
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Mabel orchard orbweaver (Leucauge argyrobapta), low-angle view showing the spider's eye arrangement and her shiny, mirror-like abdomen. Osceola County, Florida, USA.
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Next Spider: Banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata)



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All images copyright Timothy Boomer. All rights reserved worldwide.