The Kogane Spider is a large black-and-yellow native to East Asia, known in Japan for traditional spider-fighting contests. In the US it has been introduced to Hawaii, but it does not live on the mainland.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Females are about 3/4–1 1/4 inches (20–30 mm) long, with a broad, shield-shaped abdomen crossed by three yellow and three dark bands. Males are much smaller, about 1/4 inch (5–8 mm), and darker brown.
Look-alikes
Yellow Garden SpiderArgiope aurantia
The Yellow Garden Spider has a mostly white front body section and yellow-and-black markings on its abdomen, and its web has a single zigzag band down the middle. The Kogane Spider's broad abdomen is crossed by even yellow and dark bands, and its web band forms an X.
Why they get mixed upBoth are big black-and-yellow garden spiders in the same genus, and both live in Hawaii.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Sunny grasslands
- Shrubby hillsides
- Forest edges
- Range
- Native to Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. Introduced to Hawaii.
- Preferred conditions
- Builds round orb webs between trees and bushes in sunny mountain and grassland areas.
Behavior
- Activity
- Hangs head-down at the center of its web with its legs held in pairs to form an X, matching an X-shaped silk band it weaves into the web. It shakes the web hard when disturbed.
Life cycle
- Nest
- The female wraps her eggs in a silk sac that hangs near the web.
- Lifespan
- Lives about one year; adults die by fall.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Kajiki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, people hold a spider-fighting contest with female Kogane Spiders every June.
More species to explore
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