Golden silk orb-weaver

"Nephila" redirects here. For the use in Aramaic culture, see Orion (constellation). For the race mentioned in the Book of Genesis, see Nephilim.

Golden silk orb-weaver Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - Recent, 165–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Nephila clavipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Suborder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Nephilidae
Genus:	Nephila Leach, 1815
Species
N. antipodiana N. clavata N. clavipes N. edulis N. inaurata †N. jurassica N. madagascariensis N. pilipes N. plumipes N. senegalensis N. komaci  more
Diversity
More than 150 species (new ones are discovered every year)

N. pilipes on Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Nephila pilipes female with many males

The golden silk orb-weavers (genus Nephila) are a genus of araneomorph spiders noted for the impressive webs they weave. Nephila consists of numerous individual species found around the world. They are also commonly called golden orb-weavers, giant wood spiders, or banana spiders. In North America, the golden silk orb-weavers (see also Nephila clavipes) are sometimes referred to as writing spiders due to occasional zigzag patterns (stabilimenta) built into their webs, though these occur much more frequently in the webs of Argiope, such as the St Andrew's Cross spider.

The species N. jurassica, which lived about 165 million years ago, had a leg span of some 15 cm, and is the largest known fossilized spider.^[1]

Etymology

The genus name Nephila is derived from Ancient Greek, meaning "fond of spinning",^[2] from the words (nen) = to spin (related to nema νήμα "thread") + φίλος (philos) = "love".

Appearance and distribution

Nephila spiders vary from reddish to greenish yellow in color with distinctive whiteness on the cephalothorax and the beginning of the abdomen. Like many species of the superfamily Araneoidea, they have striped legs specialized for weaving (where their tips point inward, rather than outward as is the case with many wandering spiders). Their contrast of dark brown/black and green/yellow allows warning and repelling of potential predators to whom their venom might be of little danger.

Golden orb-weavers reach sizes of 1.5 to 2 inches in females, not including legspan, with males being usually 2/3 smaller (less than 1 inch). The largest specimen ever recorded was a 2.7 inch female N. clavipes (which is now debated to have been a new yet undocumented subspecies) from Queensland, that was able to catch and feed on a small-sized finch.

Golden silk orb-weavers are widespread in warmer regions throughout the world, with species in Australia, Asia, Africa (including Madagascar), and America. One species, N. clavipes, occurs in the United States of America, where it ranges throughout the coastal southeast and inland, from North Carolina to Texas.

Nephila spiders are the oldest surviving genus of spiders, with a fossilized specimen known from 165 million years ago.^[3]

Behavior

Web spin

The name of the golden silk orb-weavers refers to the colour of the spider silk, not the colour of the spider itself.

Yellow threads of their web shine like gold in sunlight. Xanthurenic acid, two quinones and an unknown fourth compound contribute to the yellow color. Experimental evidence suggests that the silk's color may serve a dual purpose: sunlit webs ensnare bees that are attracted to the bright yellow strands, whereas in shady spots the yellow blends in with background foliage to act as a camouflage. The spider is able to adjust pigment intensity relative to background light levels and colour; the range of spectral reflectance is specifically adapted to insect vision.

The webs of most Nephila spiders are complex, with a fine-meshed orb suspended in a maze of non-sticky barrier webs. As with many weavers of sticky spirals, the orb is renewed regularly if not daily, apparently because the stickiness of the orb declines with age. When weather is good (and no rain has damaged the orb web), subadult and adult Nephila often rebuild only a portion of the web. The spider will remove and consume the portion to be replaced, build new radial elements, then spin the new spirals. This partial orb renewal is distinct from other orb-weaving spiders that usually replace the entire orb web.

Typically, the golden orb-weaver first weaves a non-sticky spiral^[4] with space for 2-20 more spirals in between (the density of sticky spiral strands decreases with increasing spider size). When she has completed the coarse weaving, she returns and fills in the gaps. Whereas most orb-weaving spiders remove the non-sticky spiral when spinning the sticky spiral, Nephila leave it. This produces a "manuscript paper" effect when the orb is seen in the sun: groups of sticky spirals reflecting light with "gaps" where the non-sticky spiral does not reflect the light.

The circular-orb portion of a mature N. clavipes web can be more than 1 meter across, with support strands extending perhaps many more feet away. In relation to the ground, the webs of adults may be woven anywhere from eye-level upwards high into the tree canopy. The orb web is usually truncated by a top horizontal support strand, giving it an incomplete look.

Adjacent to one face of the main orb there may be a rather extensive and haphazard-looking network of guard-strands suspended a few inches distant across a free-space. This network is often decorated with a lumpy string or two of plant detritus and insect carcasses clumped with silk. This "barrier web" may function as a kind of early-warning system for incoming prey or against spider-hunting predators, or as a shield against windblown leaves; it may also be remnants of the owner's previous web. At least one reference explains the suspended debris-chain as a cue for birds to avoid blundering into and destroying the web.

Stabilimenta among N. clavipes are sometimes seen in the webs of immatures nearing molt, hence the names "molting webs" or "skeleton webs" (webs with radial strands but no spiral elements).

Prey-capturing mechanisms

The Australian golden silk orb-weaver (Nephila edulis) has been observed on windy, rainy days dismantling the lower part of its web to allow strong wind to flow through a large opening in the web without breaking it. Golden Orb Weavers are known to occasionally eat prey as big as small birds.^[5][6]

Parasites

N. clavipes web at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

N. clavipes (and many other Nephila species) are frequently victimized by Argyrodes, a genus of very small black-and-silver spiders that are kleptoparasitic. As many as a few dozen may infest a single Nephila web to feed from the host spider's captured prey. The frequent rebuilding or abandoning of webs by Nephila may be a tactic for controlling Argyrodes. Spiny orb-weaver spiders also inhabit the webs of Nephila to obtain food.

Life cycle

Spiderlings

N. inaurata from Madagascar

Young spiders do not generally build yellow-colored silk, and the young Nephila themselves can be easily mistaken for young Orchard Spiders (Leucauge) in general color and shape (both species sport silver stripes or patches on their abdomens, described in some references as a form of heat control). The best distinction between Leucauge and Nephila juveniles is web structure: Leucauge tends to build a horizontal orb that is a perfect circle, whereas Nephila build vertical, elliptical orbs that are incomplete (missing the portion of the orb over the hub, the center where the spider sits). Nephila seem to prefer more open habitat such as second-growth scrub or forest edges. Fences or building overhangs often do just as nicely.

In addition, young spiders demonstrate vibrational motion when approached by a predator.^[7] They will oscillate at approximately 40 Hz when the web is plucked—thought to be a response to a potential predator. If a predator persists in an attack, the spider will either run to a web-support strand and thus to nearby vegetation, bail out of the web on a silk line that remains connected to the web, or jump from the web after inducing oscillations in the web that aid the jump.

Toxicity

Female N. clavipes with a male behind her

The venom of the golden silk orb-weaver is potent but not lethal to humans. It has a neurotoxic effect similar to that of the black widow spider; however, its venom is not nearly as powerful. The bite causes local pain, redness, and blisters that normally disappear within a 24-hour interval. In rare cases, it might trigger allergic reactions and result in respiratory troubles (in asthmatics) or fast-acting involuntary muscle cramps. As the genus possesses relatively strong chelicerae, the bite could leave a scar on hard tissue (such as fingers).

Interaction with humans

These spiders do not seem to form either beneficial or harmful relationships with humans. As they weave their webs in bushes and near flowers, they might present a nuisance for gardeners or flower pickers. Some nests near fruits may repel known pests, such as the fruit fly, without the need to use insecticides.

There were efforts to produce garments from Nephila silk. The spiders were fastened and the extruding thread coiled up until the spider was exhausted. However, this method did not prove commercially viable.^[8]

A possible use of Nephila silk lies in tissue engineering. A study from the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover reports that processed Nephila silk is an excellent scaffold material thanks to its biocompatibility, mechanical strengths, and its property to promote cell adhesion and proliferation.^[9] In particular, the silk acts as a suitable guiding material for peripheral nerve regrowth.^[10]

A unique cloth woven from golden silk of over 1 million golden orb female spiders is on exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History.^[11][12]

Fishermen on coasts of the indopacific ocean remove Nephila webs and form them into a ball, which is thrown into the water. There it unfolds and is used to catch bait fish.^[8]

Nephila in popular culture

In Japanese folklore, Jorōgumo, a type of yōkai, is thought to be a Nephila (Jorō spider) which can shapeshift its appearance into a seductive woman.

References

1. ^ Amos, Jonathan (20 April 2011). "Fossilised spider 'biggest on record'". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13134505. Retrieved 24 April 2011. 
2. ^ Cameron H.D. (2005). An etymological dictionary of North American spider genus names. In: Ubick, D., Paquin, P., Cushing, P.E., Roth, V. (Eds.), Spiders of North America: an identification manual. The American Arachnological Society.
3. ^ "Fossilized spider biggest on record". BBC News. 2011-04-20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13134505. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
4. ^ "Natasha, the Golden Silk Spider (Nephila clavipes)". http://frank.itlab.us/spider_2002/videos.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
5. ^ Malkin, Bonnie (October 22, 2008). "Giant Spider Eating a Bird Caught on Camera". Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/10/22/easpider122.xml. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
6. ^ "Second devouring bird-spider strikes". Ninemsn. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=657123. 
7. ^ "Laura, Lumi and Anda, juvenile Banana Spiders or Golden Silk Spiders (Nephila clavipes)". http://frank.itlab.us/nephila_2004/videos.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Heimer, S. (1988). Wunderbare Welt der Spinnen. Urania. p.14
9. ^ "Biocompatible matrix for tissue engineering and wound dressing". 2010-07-19. http://www.ascenion.de/de/technologieangebote/devices/biocompatible-matrix.html. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
10. ^ "Tissue Engineering peripherer Nerven mit Spinnenseide". http://www.mhh-phw.de/index.php?spinnenseide. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
11. ^ "1 Million Spiders Make Golden Silk for Rare Cloth". Wired Science. 2009-09-23. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/spider-silk/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
12. ^ "Rare Spider Silk on Exhibit at AMNH". YouTube.com. 2009-09-24. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z07dB3sKTs. 

External links

• Spider eats bird, The Cairns Post, October 23, 2008
• Photographer found, The Cairns Post, October 24, 2008
• Studies of the golden silk spider, weaving and catching prey
• Female and Male Nephila clavipes mating
• Studies of female and male Nephila clavipes (banana spider)
• Juvenile banana spiders and vibrational predatory responses
• Australian Nephila edulis
• Australian spiders set to train with astronauts for space shuttle mission
• Description, distribution and picture of N. plumipes
• golden silk spider on the UF /

General

• Nephilidae.com: A web resource for nephilid spiders

Pictures

• Pictures of golden silk orb-weavers

Videos

• Video clip of a "Banana spider eating grub" (hosted on YouTube)
• Video clip of a "Banana spider spinning silk around a dragonfly in slow motion and cutting it from its web" (hosted on YouTube)