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Two pics from Argentina
Hi, we spotted this great spider last weekend in El Palmar National Park in Argentina.
Andrés & Gabriel

Hola Andrés and Gabriel,
Your spider is a Golden Silk Spider, named because of the color of its silk. There is only one species reported in the new world, Nephila clavipes, so we are pretty certain that is your spider. The coloration is a bit different from the specimens we generally receive from the southern U.S., with the abdomen appearing brown instead of yellow. The species is distributed from the southern United States down to Argentina, and including the Caribbean. Wikipedia mentions an Argentine subspecies, Nephila clavipes vespucea, but does not picture it. A brief internet did not produce a photo of Nephila clavipes vespucea, but perhaps a faithful reader will discover an image and send us the link.

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