第 0712 號，共 1 402 號

Yellow garden spider

Argiope aurantia

名字的由來： The genus name Argiope means "silver-face" and the species name aurantia means "gilded", giving a Latin name that translates to "gilded silver-face".1

無害對人無害。不用擔心。

蜘蛛

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 輕微跟蜜蜂螫差不多或更輕微。對人基本上無害。

The yellow garden spider is a large, colourful spider with yellow and black markings on its abdomen. It builds big round webs in sunny fields, gardens and along the eaves of houses in North America, Mexico and Central America. It bites only if disturbed or handled, and its bite is comparable to a bee sting.1

分布在

Contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico and Central America; found from Canada to Colombia, but less often in the basin and mountain areas of the Rockies.1

北美洲

首頁

Yellow garden spiders build webs in open, sunny fields, where they stay concealed and sheltered from the wind. They are also found along the eaves of houses and outbuildings, and in any tall vegetation where a web can be stretched securely.1

長度

2,8 cm (1,1 in)1

最高速度

大約 1,3 km/h（0,81 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

The spider waits in the centre of its web for prey to become trapped. It may shake the web back and forth to trap the insect further, then kills the prey with venom and wraps it in a silk cocoon to eat later, typically 1–4 hours afterwards. Prey includes insects and small vertebrates such as geckos and green anoles.1

Yellow garden spider 的照片 — Yellow garden spider。照片：Judy Gallagher。 CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Yellow and black markings on the abdomen (the rear part of the body).1
A mostly white front body section (cephalothorax).1
A large, circular web up to 60 cm across, with a dense zigzag of silk in the centre.1
The female sits in the centre of the web, usually facing straight down.1
Females measure 19–28 mm in body length, while males are much smaller at 5–9 mm.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

The venom contains polyamine toxins, including one called argiotoxin ArgTX-636, which are being studied for possible medical uses. For most people the venom is harmless, and a bite causes redness and swelling, similar to a bee sting. It is harmless to people who are not allergic.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 輕微跟蜜蜂螫差不多或更輕微。對人基本上無害。

These spiders are not aggressive and only bite if grabbed or disturbed. For a healthy adult, a bite is not considered an issue. People who are very young, elderly, or have weakened immune systems should take the same care they would around a beehive or hornet nest.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

If disturbed by a possible predator, the female may drop from her web and hide on the ground nearby, and she can shake the web vigorously while staying attached in the centre.1

如果牠咬人

清洗咬傷處，用冰敷袋冰敷止痛。如果很痛、疼痛擴散或傷者覺得不舒服，要就醫。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

大約跟一根迴紋針一樣長可以在 280 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Yellow garden spider 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Yellow garden spider 大約 1,3 km/h (0,81 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

The female can shake her web vigorously to make it harder for wasps and birds to target her, and to fully tangle an insect before it cuts itself free.1

After mating, the male often dies and is sometimes eaten by the female, as he inserts his second palpal bulb.1

The zigzag silk in the web, called a stabilimentum, may camouflage the spider, attract prey, or warn birds away, but its purpose is still disputed.1

In a case observed in Georgia, a European hornet cut free prey caught in a yellow garden spider's web, and the spider did not fight it, probably because it dropped from the web and hid.1

破解迷思

迷思： Yellow garden spiders are dangerous and their bite can seriously harm a healthy adult.

真相： The venom is harmless to people who are not allergic. A bite is comparable to a bumblebee sting and is not considered an issue for healthy adults.1

給毒液專家

學名: Argiope aurantia
類群: 蜘蛛
家人: Araneidae2
排序: Araneae
各大洲: 北美洲
寶寶: Each female produces one to four egg sacs, each holding perhaps over a thousand eggs, and in spring the tiny spiderlings emerge and some are carried away on silk strands by the breeze.1
對人的危險: 1 / 5: 輕微3