Lobed argiope
Argiope lobata
A silvery orb-weaver with a lobed abdomen. It is confirmed in Georgia and is not a medical risk to people.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Diet
Insects in the web
Status in Georgia
Confirmed
Size
Female 17–26 mm
Habitat
Warm grass / dry shrub
Family
Araneidae
Human interaction: The spider has venom for prey. It is not a medical risk to people: bites are rare and usually only local pain or redness. This is not a viper bite and not a widow (Latrodectus) bite. An allergic reaction to any bite is possible; if breathing, the face, or general condition worsens, call 112. Do not handle it. A web in dry grass or low shrub in summer–autumn can be typical; destroy it only if it blocks a path — the spider is not a pest.
Overview
What is Lobed argiope
The lobed argiope (Argiope lobata) is an orb-weaving spider in the family Araneidae. The accepted name is Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772); the original combination was Aranea lobata. The World Spider Catalog treats the species as accepted and as the type species of Argiope. There is no widely established Georgian vernacular; this page uses the descriptive name ლობებიანი არგიოპა, from the lateral lobes on the abdomen. English names include lobed argiope and black-lobed garden orb-web spider. At species level Nentwig et al. give female body length as 16.8–25.5 mm and male as 5.2–7.5 mm. Otto 2022 lists the species for Georgia. That is country-level confirmation, not even density in all twelve regions. It has venom for insect prey; it is not medically significant for people. IUCN has not assessed the species. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List; the arachnid on that list is the fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius).
Last updated
Gallery
Lobed argiope in photos
Photo: Christian Ferrer
Villeveyrac, Hérault, France ·
Photo: Christian Ferrer
Sète–Marseillan, Hérault, France ·
Photo: Christian Ferrer
Villeveyrac, Hérault, France ·
Photo: Aenea289
Elba, Italy ·
Identification
How to identify Lobed argiope
A large orb-weaver with a silvery abdomen that has lateral lobes. The female is much larger than the male; the male abdomen is not lobed.
- 01
At species level female body length is 16.8–25.5 mm (Nentwig et al.); male 5.2–7.5 mm. Legs are not included. There is no separate Georgian measurement series on this page.
- 02
The female cephalothorax (prosoma) is shiny silver. The abdomen (opisthosoma) is dorsally silver-grey, with lateral lobes — the main field character. Around the lobes there may be brownish contrast. The underside is darker. Legs are yellowish-brown with black rings. The male is more uniformly yellowish, and the abdomen is not lobed at the sides.
- 03
The web is an orb, often in grass or low shrub. The hub may have a white zigzag (stabilimentum). An adult female often sits head-down in the centre.
- 04
The same genus in Georgia includes the wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi). That species has yellow-and-black cross-bands and no lateral lobes. Garden orb-weavers such as Araneus have a different mark, often a cross, not these lobes. Dry shrubland may also hold widow spiders (Latrodectus) — smaller, with a rounded abdomen and no lobes; this atlas has no widow profile yet.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
At species level Nentwig et al. give habitat as grass in very warm places. Otto links it in the Caucasus to dry shrubland and grassland — the more continental, low-rainfall east, not the humid Colchic lowland. That is an ecoregion-level description, not a measured Georgian elevation belt. This atlas colours regions only from named records. Seropian et al. 2023 publish one female south of Lake Nadarbazevi, east of Gori (N41.97820°, E44.28510°; 950 m; 13 September 2020; Iankoshvili; CaBOL-ID 1004216) — Shida Kartli on this atlas map. Two specimens in the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), identified by Krammer, are labelled Vashlovani National Park entrance, Kakheti (GBIF; no date on those records). Other regions are not coloured on this page. GBIF also aggregates citizen-science points elsewhere; this atlas does not colour regions from those points. Photos on this page were not taken in Georgia.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. At species level the female takes flying and jumping insects in the orb web. Prey is wrapped, then bitten. That is the general trophic niche, not a measured Georgian menu. Do not treat it as biological control in a garden.
Behavior
By day the female often sits in the web centre, head down. In the genus Argiope the hub often has a white zigzag of silk — a stabilimentum; its function is not fully settled. At species level adult females are obvious in the warm season. A named Georgian date is 13 September 2020 at Nadarbazevi. A full national calendar is not measured here. The male is much smaller and the abdomen is not lobed laterally (Nentwig et al.). Do not pick it up.
Conservation
IUCN has not assessed the species. It is not on Government Resolution No. 190 of 2014; the official Red List arachnid is Dolomedes plantarius (VU). Otto 2015 treated Caucasus records as abundant (28 records across the North Caucasus, Georgia and Azerbaijan together); that is not a Georgian population trend. In Armenia the genus Argiope was first confirmed by Kosyan 2022 — a neighbouring country, not a Georgian range. Do not catch wild spiders.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Lobed argiope.
Yes. Otto 2022 lists the species for Georgia. That is country-level confirmation.
Named records are south of Lake Nadarbazevi east of Gori (Shida Kartli, 950 m, 13 September 2020) and the Vashlovani park entrance (Kakheti; ZFMK specimens). Look in warm, dry grass and shrub. Other regions are not coloured on this page.
The female has a silvery abdomen with lateral lobes. The male is much smaller and not lobed. In Georgia the similar species is the wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi), which has yellow-and-black bands and no lobes.
At species level the female is about 17–26 mm, the male about 5–8 mm. Legs are not included. There is no Georgian series on this page.
It has venom for insects. It is not a medical risk to people. Bites are rare and usually local. Do not handle it. Call 112 if serious symptoms appear.
Adult females are obvious in the warm season at species level. A named Georgian record is September at Nadarbazevi. A full national calendar is not on this page.
IUCN has not assessed it. It is not on the 2014 Red List.
- World Spider Catalog — Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772)
- Nentwig et al. 2026 — Spiders of Europe, Argiope lobata
- Otto 2022 — Caucasian Spiders (database version 02.2022)
- Otto 2022 — Georgia country checklist
- Otto 2015 — Commented checklist of Caucasian spiders
- Otto — Habitats & Diversity (dry shrubland / grassland)
- Seropian, Otto & Bulbulashvili 2023 — CaBOL spiders of Georgia, Part I
- ZFMK — Argiope lobata, Vashlovani NP (ZFMK-Ar-21420)
- ZFMK — Argiope lobata, Vashlovani NP (ZFMK-Ar-21421)
- Kosyan 2022 — First Argiope records in Armenia
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- Wikimedia Commons — female, Villeveyrac (Christian Ferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — female, Sète (Christian Ferrer, CC BY 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — female ventral, Villeveyrac (Christian Ferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — male and female, Elba (Aenea289, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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