Appearance
''Nephila clavata'' pass winter as eggs and scatter as tiny juveniles in the spring. The female's body size is 17–25 mm, while the male's is 7–10 mm.The web of female ''Nephila'' can reach one meter in width; the yellow threads appear rich gold in sunlight. The structure of the web seen in cross section is unusual for an orb web; it has 3 layers: the central orb, plus 2 irregular layers in front and behind the orb.
The adult female individual has stripes of yellow and dark blue, with red towards the rear of the abdomen. In autumn, smaller male may be seen in the female's web for copulating. After mating the female spins an egg sack on a tree, laying 400 - 1500 eggs in one sack. The life cycle ends by late autumn or early winter.
Cultural
Jorōgumo is a legendary creature in Japanese folklore. A Jorōgumo is a spider which can change its appearance into that of a beautiful woman. She seeks men to seduce, whom she then binds in her silk and devours.References:
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