''Argiope katherina'' is a species of
orb-weaver spider found in the northern parts of the
Northern Territory and
Western Australia. It was first described by
Levi in 1983 and was named for
Katherine Gorge. Specimens had been found at the mouth of split rock crevices up to one hundred metres from the
Katherine River in sparse ''
Pandanus
''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...
''-dominated territory.
Description
''Argiope katherina'' rests with its legs in four pairs on a web that often has zig-zag web decorations consisting of one to four radials. The carapace is brown covered with a light coloured down. The sternum is black with a median longitudinal mark.
[ The abdomen has a distinctive reticulate pattern outlined with white zig-zag margins at the edges, and three or four prominent white dots on the mid-line. Females are larger than males, with adult females up to 16 mm and males 6 mm. Similar looking species are '' Argiope mascordi'' and '' Argiope dietrichae''.]
Gallery
Argiope katherina No 5 - 5934.jpg, Juvenile at Katherine Gorge
Argiope katherina No 2 - 5907.jpg, Juvenile at Katherine Gorge
Argiope katherina No 6 - 5933.jpg, Juvenile at Katherine Gorge
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2781722
katherina
Spiders of Australia
Spiders described in 1983