Argiope aemula

Argiope aemula
female (dorsal side)
male (dorsal) and female (ventral) Bali, Indonesia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Argiope
Binomial name
Argiope aemula

Argiope aemula is species of giant conspicuous signature spiders of the genus Argiope seen in tropical and subtropical grasslands. Signature spiders get their name from the zigzag design embozzed on the web and is called stabilimentum. They are believed to serve camouflage function. They show extreme sexual dimorphism and males are only 10% of the female in size and as a result become victim of sexual cannibalism. If the males survive the first copulation, then they almost always die during the second attempt. ^[1] However, further studies have shown that male invariably dies after second copulation as a form of programmed suicide. ^[2]

References

1. Sexual cannibalism in an orb-weaving spider Argiope aemula.
2. Spontaneous male death during copulation in an orb-weaving spider