Gumtree Trunk Weaver

Appearance

Female Argiope ocyaloides get to about 8 mm in body length, the male perhaps 4 mm.
Most of those spiders are dark grey to black in colour, with white line along the sides of the long heart-shaped abdomen. Legs are all black with white ring. However, some are brown to pale brown in colours.

Naming

It was named by Koch in 1871 at Port Mackay - present day Mackay, Queensland.

Behavior

This spider builds small size orb web against gum tree trunk. The web size is 200-300mm in diameter. As all other Argiope species, this spider rests on web with legs in pair. If we come closer, they vibrate the web very quickly and become almost invisible. Most of them are found on gum tree trunk with dark colour bark, such as the Ironbark gum trees or those gum trees with burnt bark.
Like other species in this Argiope genus, young spiders build web with circular stabilimentum. Adult females build web without stabilimentum.