''Araneus gemma'', commonly known as the cat-faced spider (a name shared with ''
Araneus gemmoides''), is a common outdoor
orb-weaver spider
Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family (biology), family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped spider web, webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circ ...
found in the western United States and Canada.
Like most
Araneus species, ''A. gemma'' is harmless to humans. It contains a venomous toxin of low molecular weight called
argiotoxin Argiotoxins represent a class of polyamine toxins isolated from the orb-weaver spider ('' Araneus gemma'' and '' Argiope lobata'').
The orb-weaver spiders, also known aaraneids belong to the Araneidae spider family. This type of spider is found i ...
, that antagonizes the actions of the neurotransmitter
glutamate.
Dopamine was also identified in the venom of ''A. gemma'' in a concentration of 4.3
nM.
The web silk of the ''A. gemma'' ranges from 1 to 4
μm in diameter.
[David Kaplan, Kevin McGrath]
Protein-Based Materials
Springer, 1997; page 113. .
References
External links
gemma
Spiders of North America
Spiders described in 1888
{{Araneidae-stub