spider: identification needed!

[davide]

Hi all, I have found this guy in north part of sardinia island (Italy) just near tha coast. Can help me to identify it?
Thank you in advance
davide

[Theraphosid]

It's an Argiope sp. Looks similar to a Lobed Argiope (Argiope lobata) Which is located in around the Mediterranean. Try a search for Argiope pictures and see if you can find one that looks similar to yours.

[iri_black]

@Theraphosid
You seem to know a lot about spiders....

[Theraphosid]

Well thank you. It's just a hobby now, but I plan on studying them extensively next spring. I currently own 12 tarantulas, hence the name Theraphosid.

http://www.night-fall.net/tarantulas
That's my website, it's just pictures of my Theraphosids now. Unfortunately don't have them all photographed, like my trapdoor spider which I have not seen since I got it...

[iri_black]

That's great. I really thought you're a specialist....you should really study this field if you like it so much

[davide]

Theraphosid: Thank you! I will follow your suggestion trying a web search on Argiope lobata.
davide

[Theraphosid]

I hope to be one soon. What I really want to do is get into a lab and work on Rose Hair Tarantula (G. rosea) venom. I've been reading science articles about a peptide in the spiders venom that might be beneficial to people during heart attacks and strokes.

http://www.buffalo.edu/home/article_tarantula.shtml
http://www.sachslab.buffalo.edu/

Edit: No problem. Try finding some crickets or moths and throwing them in the spiders web. Really neat thing to watch, never gets old for me no matter how many times I do it.