Golden Silk Orb-Weaver, Banana Spider, Calico Spider
Trichonephila clavipes
Araneidae / Nephilidae, Order Araneae
Physical Description
Large orb-weaving spider featuring an elongated, cylindrical olive-gray to golden-brown abdomen with distinct white to yellow spots. The cephalothorax is silvery-white to light gray. Exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism, with females being massive compared to tiny males.
Size Estimate
Female body length: 24–40 mm (1 to 1.5 inches); total leg span can reach 75–125 mm (3 to 5 inches). This photo shows a mature adult female.
Coloration & Markings
Cephalothorax is light silver-white. Abdomen is elongated with olive-greenish to orange-yellow hues covered in paired whitish/yellow spots. Legs feature striking yellow and black bands with conspicuous black hair tufts on the joints.
Web Type
Large, semi-permanent orb web made of golden-tinged silk that can stretch up to 1–2 meters wide, often reinforced with fine barrier webs to protect from large obstacles or predators.
Eye Arrangement
Eight small eyes arranged in two slightly curved rows near the front center of the carapace, typical of Araneoid orb-weavers.
Leg Characteristics
Long, slender, conspicuously banded in dark brown/black and yellow or orange, featuring characteristic brushes or tufts of dense black hairs ('gaiters') on the tibia sections of legs I, II, and IV.
Venom & Safety Information
Venom Information
Mild neurotoxic components used to immobilize insect prey. Low potency to humans and not considered medically significant.
Medical Significance
Harmless to humans. Bites are extremely rare and usually only occur if pinched or crushed. Symptoms are comparable to a mild bee sting, resulting in slight localized pain, swelling, and redness.
Safety Recommendations
Safe to coexist with outdoors. If built in high-traffic human walkways, relocate the spider gently using a stick or soft cup and paintbrush to a nearby tree or shrub.
Habitat & Behavior
Habitat & Range
Native to warm coastal regions, forests, swamps, and agricultural areas of North and South America, ranging from the Southeastern United States down through Argentina. Frequently found under eaves, porches, and woodland gaps.
Behavior & Temperament
Docile and non-aggressive web-builder. Typically remains stationed at the hub (center) of its large golden web facing head-down, fleeing or vibrating the web rapidly if threatened.
Diet & Prey
Feeds on medium to large flying insects including flies, beetles, wasps, moths, grasshoppers, and stink bugs that become ensnared in its sticky golden silk.
Seasonal Activity
Peak visibility and maturity occur from mid-summer through autumn (August to November), when females build giant webs to prepare for egg production before dying in early winter.
Description
The Golden Silk Orb-Weaver (Trichonephila clavipes) is one of the largest non-tarantula spiders in North America. Known for its brilliant golden silk webs and leg 'tufts', this gentle giant is a master engineer of the spider world, serving as an effective natural controller of flying insect pests.
Key Features
Elongated spotted abdomen, silvery cephalothorax, dark/yellow banded legs with prominent tufts of stiff black hairs on the leg segments, and characteristic golden-tinted silk.
Similar Species
Trichonephila clavata (Joro Spider - native to Asia, invasive in SE US, lacks leg tufts and has bright blue-green and red stripes), Argiope aurantia (Yellow Garden Spider - rounded abdomen with heavy yellow/black pattern and z-shaped stabilimentum).
Life Cycle
Females lay several egg sacs containing hundreds of eggs encased in tough golden silk attached to nearby foliage or structures in late summer/autumn. Spiderlings disperse via ballooning in spring. Lifespan is typically around one year.
Ecological Importance
Acts as a key apex invertebrate predator in canopy and edge ecosystems, consuming massive quantities of flying agricultural and garden pests like mosquitoes, flies, and stinkbugs.
Conservation Status
Not evaluated by IUCN, but widespread, highly adaptable, and locally abundant throughout warm tropical and subtropical habitats.
Interesting Facts
Their golden silk is stronger than steel by weight and highly elastic; researchers study T. clavipes silk for biomaterial applications ranging from artificial tendons to bulletproof textiles.
Photography Tips
Photograph from below or from the side against a clear background using natural sunlight to capture the luminous yellow hue of the web silk and the silvery sheen of the cephalothorax.
Identified: 2026-07-23T17:16:14.363131