Subject: Spider
Location: Camarines Sur, Philippines
August 19, 2017 6:14 am
Can you please identify this spider I found in our school? I need his to be identified today for our project. Thanks.
Signature: Gwnypasadilla
Dear Gwnypasadilla,
This is an Orbweaver in the genus Argiope. Our research led us to this Wikimedia Commons image of Argiope appensa, and we verified that on Project Noah where the St Andrew’s Cross Spider this information is provided: “Locally know here in the Philippines as ‘Gagambang Ekis’ or literally translated as X spider. The abdomen looks like a face mask.”
This spider is Cyrtophora cylindroides. Notice it is resting horizontally in a fine-meshed web, whereas Argiope appensa rests vertically in a vertical web of wider mesh. Further, in C cyl the abdomen is more elongate. Other differences are noticable, as well. To better compare, enter the names of these two species as search terms at iNaturalist.org