Argiope australis ???

[kalvaer]

I think thats the correct name :D I just saw this in the garden outside my office. I cant get in low enough to get a nice photo of its back. Searched the net for a name and thats what looks the closest. Unless its something else

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/kalvaer/Spiders/Spider009.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/kalvaer/Spiders/Spider012.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/kalvaer/Spiders/Spider016.jpg

[Bastian Drolshagen]

how about Argiope lobata?

[kalvaer]

Ohhh... Never saw pics of that.. But from what I see in wikipedia now, It think your right ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lobata02_ST_07.JPG )

[Bastian Drolshagen]

hi,
dunno if I´m right, just wanted to mention this species since the opisthosoma fits quite well. But, who knows, maybe there´re more species of that genus which an opisthosoma like that :-/

[kalvaer]

I really have no clue :confused: . Dawn Larsen from www.biodiversityexplorer.org has said she will get Norman to try confirm.

[kalvaer]

Norman Larsen from biodiversity has confirmed it as Argiope australis. He agreed that the dorsal pattern isn't comman though

[Bastian Drolshagen]

hi,
could you forward some more information pls?
How can those Argiope be distinguished?

[kalvaer]

I normally look here first http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/arachnids/spiders/index.htm If I cant work it out. I email the leading spider expert there, and thats how I got it id'ed now. Slowly but surely learning but otherwise i'm still pretty much a newb.

He did say the following in a reply email:
The image of the ventral pattern is typical of A. australis and we have the yellow replaced by orange in some specimens on the Cape Peninsula.