Banana Spider

The common name "banana spider" is used loosely in different regions for several unrelated large spiders, which can make identification confusing. In the southeastern United States, it is most frequently applied to Trichonephila clavipes, the golden silk orb weaver, a large web-building spider named for the golden sheen of its silk. Elsewhere, the same folk name has historically been applied to other large spiders encountered near banana plants or shipments, including certain wandering spiders in South America, though these belong to an entirely different family and lifestyle.

When used for the golden silk orb weaver, "banana spider" describes a large, patterned, web-building spider with a long cylindrical abdomen and dramatically smaller males, commonly seen suspended in large orb webs between trees along wooded trails and garden edges. This is a sedentary, web-bound spider, in contrast to ground-dwelling wandering spiders that sometimes share the same common name in other regions.

Because the name is applied inconsistently, the most reliable way to identify a spider called a "banana spider" is to note whether it sits in a large web (pointing toward an orb weaver like Trichonephila clavipes) or is found roaming on the ground or among foliage without a web (which would point toward an unrelated wandering spider).

• In its most common U.S. usage, refers to a large orb weaver with a long, cylindrical, brownish-yellow abdomen and golden-toned silk
• Females are large and conspicuous; males are tiny and often overlooked on the female's web
• Builds a large, strong orb web, typically strung between trees or shrubs at head height along trails
• Distinguishing feature from other spiders sharing the folk name: this spider is web-bound and remains at the hub, rather than actively roaming on the ground
• Regional lookalikes that also carry the "banana spider" name include ground-dwelling wandering spiders, which lack a capture web entirely and have a very different, mottled brown appearance

As typically applied in the southeastern United States, the banana spider (golden silk orb weaver) is found along shaded forest trails, garden edges, and wooded lots, building large webs between trees where flying insects are abundant. Its range extends from the Gulf Coast states south through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America, generally favoring warm, humid climates.

The spider most often called banana spider in North America is a web-building predator that remains at the center of a large, reinforced orb web for extended periods, capturing flying insects that blunder into the sticky spiral. It is not an active wanderer and generally stays associated with a single web site for extended periods, repairing rather than fully rebuilding it. As with other orb weavers, it plays a useful ecological role in controlling flying insect populations in the habitats where its web is built.

Females lay silk-wrapped egg sacs on nearby vegetation in late summer or fall, and spiderlings hatch the following spring, dispersing to build their own webs. Growth occurs through a series of molts over the warm months, with females reaching large adult size by late summer when mating takes place. Most populations complete a single generation per year, with adults dying off after the breeding season as temperatures drop.