EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Unknown Orb Weaver of the Congo

Orb Weaver (Argiope sp.), Family Araneidae
Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

Explanation:  I discovered this spectacular arachnid in flooded swamp forests of Salonga National Park in the heart of the Congo River Basin of tropical Africa.  

It looks formidable, with bright warning coloration and spikes on its cephalothorax (also called the prosoma).  The body was half the size of my thumb.  But it is mostly harmless -- to people, anyhow.  

This is a female, usually far larger than the tiny male.

I'm not sure of the exact species to which this specimen belongs, or if it has even been identified and catalogued yet.   

The name argiope means "silver face" which refers to the color of the spider's prosoma in some species.  Orb weavers, found throughout the world, come in a bewildering and amazing variety of colors, shapes, and forms.   

Orb weavers are good friends of the garden, as they prey on insect pests.