Trichonephila clavata
Trichonephila clavata | |
---|---|
female with two males in Tokyo, Japan | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Araneidae |
Genus: | Trichonephila |
Species: | T. clavata
|
Binomial name | |
Trichonephila clavata | |
Synonyms | |
Nephila clavata |
Trichonephila clavata, also known as the Jorō spider (ジョロウグモ(女郎蜘蛛、上臈蜘蛛), Jorō-gumo), is a member of the golden orb-web spider genus. The spider can be found throughout Japan (except Hokkaidō), in Korea, Taiwan, China, and more recently, northeast Georgia in North America.[2][3][4] Due to its large size and the bright, unique colors of the female Trichonephila, the spider is well-favored in Japan.
In 2015, scientists confirmed the first known occurrence of T. clavata in North America.[2]
In 2019, this species was moved from the genus Nephila to Trichonephila. T. clavata’s congener Trichonephila plumipes is commonly found in Australia. It was also moved from Nephila to Trichonephila, along with other 11 species including T. clavata. [5]
Characteristics[]
Trichonephila clavata pass winter as eggs and scatter as tiny juveniles in the spring. The adult female's body size is 17–25 mm, while the male's is 7–10 mm.
The web of females can reach 1 m in length; 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 three layers: the central orb, plus two 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 males may be seen in the females' webs for copulating. After mating, the female spins an egg sack on a tree, laying 400 - 1500 eggs in one sack. The lifecycle ends by late autumn or early winter.
Silk[]
Researchers led by Masao Nakagaki at Shinshu University, Japan, have succeeded in creating a silk thread that is stronger, softer, and more durable than conventional silk by injecting silkworm eggs with genes of the spider. The silkworms that hatch weave cocoons containing 10% spider protein. The dragline silk is said to have many uses, such as bulletproof vests, sutures after an operation, tennis rackets, fishing line, and nets. A Japanese manufacturer, Okamoto, had begun developing commercial applications for the spider silk, and planned to release extra-thin, durable spider socks by 2010.[6][7]
In folklore[]
Jorōgumo is a legendary creature in Japanese folklore. A Jorōgumo is a spider that can change its appearance into that of a beautiful woman. She seeks men to seduce, whom she then binds in her silk and devours.
Gallery[]
Female shown on a web at a military base in Aibano, Japan.
Female spider eating a ladybug in South Korea.
Trichonephila clavata web on electric power cable (Tanabe, Wakayama, October 2007)
Female spider in Rikugien.
See also[]
- Joro toxin
- Tegenaria parietina (枢機卿蜘蛛)
References[]
- ^ "Taxon details Trichonephila clavata (L. Koch, 1878)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hoebeke ER, Huffmaster W, Freeman BJ (2015-02-05). "Trichonephila clavata L Koch, the Joro Spider of East Asia, newly recorded from North America (Araneae: Nephilidae)". PeerJ. 3: e763. doi:10.7717/peerj.763. PMC 4327315. PMID 25699210. Lay summary – SciGuru.
- ^ Shearer L. "Madison County man captures spider never before seen in North America". Athens Banner. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- ^ Drake N (2015-03-19). "Asian "Fortune-Teller" Spider Found in U.S. for First Time". National Geographic. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- ^ Kuntner, Matjaz; Hamilton, Chris; Cheng, Ren-Chung; Gregorič, Matjaž; et al. (2019). "Golden Orbweavers Ignore Biological Rules: Phylogenomic and Comparative Analyses Unravel a Complex Evolution of Sexual Size Dimorphism" (PDF). Systematic Biology. 68 (1147): 1–20. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syy082.
- ^ "Silk Socks, a New Biotech Product". The Silkworm Blog. 10 December 2007.
- ^ "Soon, socks and bulletproof vests made from spider silk". Thaindian News. 12 October 2007.
External links[]
Wikispecies has information related to Trichonephila clavata. |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trichonephila clavata. |
- Araneidae
- Spiders of Asia
- Spiders described in 1878
- Taxa named by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch