Barrier Island Spiders 



161 



Table 1. Frequency (number of adults per transect) of orb weavers on four South 

 Carolina barrier islands. 





Mar.- 



May- 



July- 



Sept.- 



Species Feb. 



Apr. 



June 



Aug. 



Oct. 



Araneus pegnia .3 



.5 









Araneus miniatus 



.5 









Araneus bicentenarius 



3.5 



3.0 







Cyclosa sp. 



.2 



.5 







Acanthepeira spp. 



7.1 



20.5 



2.0 





Mangora placida 



7.9 





.2 





Eustala anastera 



.5 





.2 





Leucage venusta 



.8 



5.5 



4.7 



1.0 



Mangora maculata 





1.0 







Mecynogea lemniscata 





.5 







Micrathena gracilis 





1.0 



.7 





Micrathena sagittata 





.5 



1.2 





Mangora gibberosa 





.5 



.3 





Neoscona arabesca 





18.5 



6.5 



2.0 



Argiope trifasciata 





2.0 



4.5 



2.0 



Araneus pratensis 







.3 





Gasteracantha cancriformis 







.7 





Gea heptagon 







.2 





Acacesia hamata 







.2 





Nephila clavipes 







13.7 



31.5 



Argiope aurantia 







.2 



.1 



Neoscona domiciliorum 







.3 



2.0 



Totals 



.3 



21.2 



57.5 



31.4 



43.0 



forests. By this time, Nephila clavipes was the overwhelmingly dominant 

 species (see Table 1). 



The spiny-bodied orb weavers, Micrathena gracilis, Micrathena 

 sagittata, and Gasteracantha cancriformis, were not as common in the 

 maritime forest as they are on the adjacent mainland. It must be pointed 

 out, however, that G. cancriformis was more common than Table 1 

 indicates, being frequently seen in its web above 2.7 meters (spiders in 

 webs more than 2.7 meters above the ground were not counted due to 

 the difficulty of collecting and identifying these individuals). 



Nephila clavipes, Acanthepeira spp., and Neoscona arabesca were 

 the most numerous of the 22 orb weaver species. More orb weaver indi- 

 viduals matured in early summer; however, more species of orb weavers 



