Editing Argiope (spider) (section)

==Reproduction==
The male spider is much smaller than the female,<ref>{{cite journal |url= http://www.arachne.org.au/_dbase_upl/the_orbweavers_argiope_levi.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.arachne.org.au/_dbase_upl/the_orbweavers_argiope_levi.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live
|title=The orb-weaver genera ''Argiope'', ''Gea'', and ''Neogea'' from the western Pacific region (Araneae: Araneidae, Argiopinae) |last1=Levi |first1=Herbert W. |date=1983 |journal=Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology |volume=150 |issue=5 |pages=247–338 [253] }}</ref> and unassumingly marked.  When it is time to mate, the male spins a companion web alongside the female's.  After mating, the female lays her eggs, placing her [[egg sac]] into the web. The sac contains between 400 and 1400 eggs.

These eggs hatch in autumn, but the spiderlings [[overwinter]] in the sac and emerge during the spring.  The egg sac is composed of multiple layers of silk and protects its contents from damage; however, many species of [[insect]]s have been observed to [[parasitise]] the egg sacs.