Invasive spiders spread

Joro spiders, native to East Asia, are predicted to inhabit most of eastern USA in the coming years

Jo Caird

BAD NEWS FOR ARACHNOPHOBES IN America, as a giant East Asian spider is predicted to significantly expand its range on the USA’s east coast. The joro spider (Trichonephila clavata), a largebodied orbweaver measuring 2.8cm long, with yellow-banded legs, has been in the USA since around 2010. It is thought to have arrived in a shipping container, a common route for invasive insect species. Since being initially spotted in Georgia, the joro has already spread to at least four other south-eastern states, and is set to move further north, according to new research by scientists, including David Coyle at Clemson University in South Carolina. Using species distribution models from crowd-sourced data, Coyle and his team predict the joro will eventually be found throughout eastern North America and in areas of the…

You're reading a preview of

Bbc Wildlife (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.