''Argiope magnifica'' is a species of orb web spider found in tropical areas of north-east Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, eastern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It is commonly known as the magnificent St Andrew's cross spider. This species is similar in size to the

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...

'' Argiope keyserlingi''; females can be distinguished from those of ''A. keyserlingi'' via extensive differences in abdominal colouration and patterns. The males of these two species are almost indistinguishable. Little is known about the biology of ''Argiope magnifica''. However, like most orb-web spiders, males are much smaller than females. Females of this species construct web decorations. As of October 2020, there are 57 records of ''Argiope magnifica'' listed in the Atlas of Living Australia.

Gallery

Argiope magnifica 5611 (juv dorsal).jpg, ''A.magnifica'' juvenile dorsal Argiope magnifica 5617 (juv ventral).jpg, ''A.magnifica'' juvenile ventral

References

magnifica Spiders of Australia Spiders of Asia Spiders described in 1871 {{Araneidae-stub