ARANEAE (SPIDERS)
Araneae, comprising spiders, are one of the most intimidating orders of insects to the casual observer. This predatory group is made up of roughly 3,400 species in the United States and Canada. Some are webspinners while others are not, and some are completely harmless (and beneficial) while others are not. Classic examples of spiders include garden-loving Orb Weavers, the common House Spider, the identifiable Black Widow, the mighty Wolf Spider, and the venomous Brown Recluse. Eight legs typically differentiate Araneae insects from other orders.
The Taxonomic Breakdown is the scientific way to categorize a partocular insect species from its largest group (Animalia) to its smallest (variable). The Genus and Species categorizations taken together make up the species' scientific name shown above, in this case Mecynogea lemniscata.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Araenidae
Genus: Mecynogea
Species: lemniscata
Harmful: Known to be harmful in one way or another.
Helpful: Known for its generally helpful-to-human qualities.
Eight-Legged: Eight legs are common to this insect.
Small / Tiny: Noticeably small to the naked eye.
Spiny / Spiky: Noticeable spikes apparent on the body.
Venomous: Known to be venomous to humans.
Webspinner: Known to spin its own web; resides in a web.
The Basilica Orbweaver has been identified by site users by the following descriptors:
venomous graden outdoor helpful black gray grey yellow white red orange green eight-legged pattern hairy spiky web small
The general likelihood of encountering this insect based on a given month of the year in the state of Tennessee. Generally, the best sighting months are June through August with peak occurring in July.
41F
JAN
44F
FEB
53F
MAR
62F
APR
70F
MAY
78F
JUN
80F
JUL
79F
AUG
73F
SEP
62F
OCT
52F
NOV
44F
DEC
Below is a representation of the 'smallest-small' and 'largest-large' sizes commonly associated with the Basilica Orbweaver. Due to monitor differences, sizes may not be exact on your particular screen. Conversions to millimeters are provided for convenience.
Lowest-Low:
0.20 inches (5 mm)
Highest-High:
0.35 inches (9 mm)
Below you will find the colors most commonly associated with the Basilica Orbweaver. Both Primary and Secondary colors are represented in the showcase. Due to monitor differences, colors may not be exact representations.
GREEN
ORANGE
RED
YELLOW
WHITE
GRAY
BLACK
The Basilica Orbweaver can be found in the following Tennessee counties:
Image of an adult Basilica Orbweaver Spider in its web.; Credit: Arch B. of Georgia.
This image is original to www.InsectIdentification.org; Used with Permission.
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