Anyone else missing Trichonephila clavipes?

Nature Talk
#1

I live in São Paulo, Brazil, and my interest on biology and nature comes mostly from one species: Trichonephila clavipes. Every summer they appear everywhere and it’s normally impossible to leave home without coming across their beatiful golden-silk webs.

However, this summer I have been unable to find any adults! They usually occur even in urban areas such as trees, road signs, lamps, so I should have seen them around my house. And by this time of year there should already be plenty of adults around
Is anyone else in Latin America having this same trouble? Are these beautiful spiders gone this summer? Does anyone know possible causes?

2 Likes
#2

Hi, and welcome!
Have you tried using Explore to check whether others have found any? eg here is a search for all Trichonophila in Brazil.

#3

I live in Brazoria, Texas, USA. We have a large native population of Trichonephila clavipes as well. I have observed that there are fluctuations in the numbers of these beautiful Yellow Silk Orb Weaving Spiders. I did not document those changes in the past. However I will definitely do so in the future since I am studying the spiders found in my county as a Citizen Science project.

I expect to see a reduction in this species during the upcoming summer. We just had an unprecedented Arctic blast of below freezing temperatures that lasted for a week. This kind of extreme weather is expected once a century. I doubt that all of our egg sacs and young spiders were protected from these brutal temperature extremes.

Fortunately, populations seem to rebound in a year or two. I will definitely try to quantify what will be observed this Spring and Summer. And I look forward to seeing these beautiful spiders and their enormous webs!

I pray that your spiders will also rebound!

Melanie Hollenshead
Brazoria, Texas, USA