Changes in size, quantity, and regularity of detail were followed in the orb webs of Argiope aurantia Lucas for 8 laboratory‐born females reared under controlled environmental conditions. Mesh width and the number of radii decreased steadily from the 3rd month of life to death. Thread length and area of web reached peaks around the time of the last molt and sexual maturation, and decreased thereafter. Leg length, weight, and molt, while related to web characteristics, do not account entirely for changes in dimensions. Furthermore, after several months under similarly controlled conditions, 6 females that had been caught outdoors built unusually large webs. The characteristic changes of Argiope aurantia webs in the laboratory appear to reflect not only physiological maturation and declinc, but may be related to early experience with the efficiency of the web as a trap.
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Reed et al. (1969) studied this question.
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