| Latin Name | Observation Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Argiope aemula | May 03, 2026 | Purulia, Natore, Bangladesh |
On 03/05/2026, in the afternoon, I was walking by the pond. Suddenly, I saw a beautiful spider in the grass. We often see spiders, but its sitting posture is completely different; its eight legs are divided into pairs and it sits on a web like the English letter 'X'.
As I got closer, I saw that its abdomen was not round like a normal spider. It had quite a few grooves around it and a beautiful mosaic pattern on its back. Without delay, I took out my mobile phone from my pocket. I turned on the macro lens and took a few pictures. Since the spider was a little lower than the pond edge, I could only take pictures from one side. I had to take selfie to take a picture of its back. I took a few selfies of its back, but I couldn't get a clear picture in the selfie. So I thought I would catch it and take a few macro shots. As soon as I raised my hand to catch it, it ran away. After about 40 minutes, I found it there again. This time, I caught it very carefully, then took it to the pond edge, quickly took a few pictures and released it to its home. Then I started looking at the pictures. When I saw that the little eyes on the top of the spider's head were also clearly visible on the camera, the trouble of taking pictures seemed worthwhile.
But the real story began after taking the pictures. To confirm the name of the insect, I searched on Google Lens. And Google started showing me 'European garden spider'. Hey, I live in Natore village in Bangladesh, where else would European spiders come from?
Later, after a little research on iNaturalist and other places, I was convinced that it was actually a spider native to our Asian region. Its name is the Oval St. Andrew's Cross Spider, which everyone knows better as the Signature Spider. Its scientific name is Argiope aemula.
The reason they are called signature spiders is quite interesting. They make a zigzag mark with thick white threads in the middle of their web, which looks exactly like a human's twisted signature. See the signature picture below.
Although the spider looks a bit scary, it does not harm humans. Rather, it benefits us by eating harmful insects in the garden.
Share your thoughts on these wonderful spider pictures in the comments.
(All posts are written in Bengali and translated into English using Google Translate.)
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| Camera Used | Samsung SM-C973F |
|---|---|
| F-Stop | F2.4 |
| ISO speed | ISO |
| Focal length | 26mm |
| Flash | No |
| Editing app | MIX |
| Photography | Oval St. Andrew's Cross Spider (Argiope aemula) |
| Photographer | |
| Location | Purulia, Natore, Bangladesh |
| Link to original community |
|---|
| https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/358342907 |
| Latitude | Longitude | Map Link |
|---|---|---|
| 24.3366 | 89.1158 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?#map=12/24.3369/89.1158 |