Araneus ventricosus

Araneus ventricosus is a medium-sized orb-weaver spider commonly colored brown, black, or gray. Like other members of its family, it constructs circular webs to capture prey, but exhibits distinctive nocturnal behavior by building its web throughout the night and dismantling it each morning. During courtship, males perform elaborate mating displays as part of their reproductive behavior. As adults, these spiders are predators that feed primarily on flying insects and other small arthropods caught in their webs. While A. ventricosus poses no significant threat to humans, it may occasionally bite larger animals when handled. The species exhibits selective venom toxicity - while highly effective against invertebrate prey, the venom shows no activity in vertebrates. Chemical analysis has revealed unique properties in the venom composition, including the previously undocumented presence of glutamic acid methylation in animal venoms, with protein databases identifying 130 distinct toxin-related protein chains.

A. ventricosus is distributed across East Asia, including Russia (Far East), Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. The spider primarily resides in garden, fields, and forest ecosystems.