''Argiope submaronica'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species d ...

in the family

Araneidae Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...

(orb-weavers), found from Mexico to Bolivia, and in Brazil. The name was at one time considered a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

of ''

Argiope argentata ''Argiope argentata'', commonly known as the silver argiope due to the silvery color of its cephalothorax, is a member of the orb-weaver spider family Araneidae. This species resides in arid and warm environments in North America, Central Americ ...

'', but ''A. submaronica'' is now treated as a separate species. It has also been known under the synonym ''Argiope savignyi''. It was observed to capture and feed on the proboscis bat '' Rhynchonycteris naso'' in Costa Rica, totally encasing the bat in silk during the course of a day.Timm & Losilla 2007 Through an observational study done at the La Selva Biological Station, they saw that the bats are usually caught on the spider’s web and then fully wrapped by the spider’s silk. Afterward, the spider was observed to be near or on the bat as the day went by and manipulation of its parts of the mouth on the bat signified active feeding.Timm & Losilla 2007 This was the first recorded phenomenon of an emballonurid bat being preyed on by an invertebrate, and the first documented proof of Argiope being able to catch and consume a mammal. ''A. savignyi'' sometimes spins a silk disc, sometimes a cruciate pattern, and sometimes combines both types. These structures are thought to provide five purposes: protection from predators, advertising to vertebrates to avoid web damage, prey attraction, web stability, and a source of shade. Different designs had different purposes or functions.Herberstein ''et al.'' 2000

References

*Herberstein, M. E.; Craig, C. L.; Coddington, J. A. & Elgar, M. A. (2000): The functional significance of silk decorations of orb-web spiders: a critical review of the empirical evidence. ''Biological Reviews'' 75: 649-669
Abstract
*Timm, Robert M. & Losilla, Mauricio (2007): Orb-weaving Spider, ''Argiope savignyi'' (Araneidae), Predation on the Proboscis Bat ''Rhynchonycteris naso'' (Emballonuridae). ''Caribbean Journal of Science'' 43(2): 282-284
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'' 84: 150-157
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*Nentwig, Wolfgang (1985): Prey analysis of four species of tropical orb-weaving spiders (Araneae: Araneidae) and a comparison with araneids of the temperate zone. ''Oecologia'' 66(4): 580-594. *Rovner, Jerome S. (1989): Submersion survival in aerial web-weaving spiders from a tropical wet forest. ''Journal of Arachnology'' 17: 242-245
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{{Taxonbar, from1=Q27444424, from2=Q1304701 submaronica Spiders of Mexico Spiders of Central America Spiders of South America Spiders described in 1916

References

Further reading