Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning


July 12, 2008: Argyropes flavescens mating and Singapore Air Force

What a day - starting with Parawixia, then mating in progress with both Nephila pilipes and Argyrodes flavescens and ending with the Singapore Air Force practicing for National Day (they made a Singapore flyer circle). Walking to the Nephila web, I passed a web with Parawixia quietly waiting for something. Interesting "face" on her dorsal side.

jul 12 0860 parawixia close

Being early morning, the female Nephila was quite busy with house work - mostly rebuilding her web, usually a daily affair.

Web Weaving - Nephila Ballet

Prey Capture and warpping - Act 2

The at the Nephila pilipes web, an argyrodes stealing a bit of dinner

jul 12 0865 argyrodes stealing

The male Nephila

jul 12 1182 male nephila

jul 12 1188 male nephila

jul 12 1191 male nephila

A male Nephila mounted the female while she was munching on a fresh bee or fly or whatever

jul 12 0870 nephila mating

Here is some video that illustrates the Nephila signalling and mounting and brushoff process

Episode 1

Episode 2

In the web are these little guys - Argyrodes spiderlings

jul 12 1183 spiderling

jul 12 1184 spiderlngs

Size scale compared with the Nephila leg

jul 12 1185 spiderling nephila leg

Now all about Argyrodes - the mating game. Its really complex and I'm just guessing at what is going on

jul 12 0917 approach palps

jul 12 0928 separated

jul 12 0934 coupled

jul 12 0939 argyrodes uncoupled

The video displays this in action - sort of kiss and backoff and try again:

jul 12 0942 argyrodes mating

jul 12 0946 argyrodes touch

jul 12 0993 time out

jul 12 1009 mating palps

jul 12 1015 coupled

jul 12 1027 insertion

jul 12 1031 release

jul 12 1050 coupled light

jul 12 1054 insertion

jul 12 1061 argyrodes sky

jul 12 1075 argyrodes embrace

jul 12 1079 palp rubbing

jul 12 1084 loving embrace

jul 12 1088 argyrodes embrace

jul 12 1089 argyrodes release

jul 12 1090 tapping palps

jul 12 1104 mating

jul 12 1116 argyrodes coupled

jul 12 1124 argyrodes coupled

jul 12 1203 light dark mating

jul 12 1207 mating game

jul 12 1211 argyrodes reflections

jul 12 1218 argyrodes mating

Now fast forward to 7pm. Some jet contrails appeared which is quite unusual for Singapore as all air traffic is away from populated areas (i.e. the entire country).

jul 12 1226 jet contrails

I saw two jets screaming down

jul 12 1231 two jets

Then level out and fly off.

jul 12 1238 flyer bottom

jul 12 1239 jets flying flyer

Pulling back, it was clear that they made a circle - the Singapore Flyer

jul 12 1242 singapore flyer

With Queenstown in the picture - it could be the Queenstown Flyer

jul 12 1243 qtown flyer

Or the Alexandra Road Flyer - the colors were amazing

jul 12 1246 alexandra flyer

Some practice

jul 12 1253 jet practice

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

C. Frank Starmer

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