There's a new spider in town, and it may be gearing up to take over the East Coast.
The Joro spider, a species from East Asia, was first reported in North America about seven years ago. In the past several months, sightings have exploded across northeast Georgia, and a few have cropped up in South Carolina, as well.
The spider is hard to miss, and for any arachnophobes, it's guaranteed to give a fright. At three inches across, it's just a little smaller than its relative the banana spider, which is native to the Americas. They both create large, golden webs high above the ground.
They're not dangerous to humans, and can be quite "mild-mannered," said Mike Ferro, collection manager at Clemson University's Arthropod Museum.
So far, not many sightings have been reported to researchers in South Carolina. Ferro recalled receiving a specimen of the Joro spider in September 2019 from the Cherokee Creek Boys School, west of Greenville and right across the Georgia border.
But Ferro thinks it's only a matter of time until the Joro spider expands its range. It could become widespread throughout eastern North America, which is a favorable habitat due to the climate.
At the moment, the South could be a "pretty cushy" environment for the Joro, Ferro said. The species has left its pests, predators and diseases behind in Asian habitats, and it's unclear right now what effect it will have on this new environment, or how it will be affected in turn.
"Hopefully it will just be kind of big and obvious, and not invoke much change," Ferro said.
If humans encounter it, "there's no point in being mean to it," according to Ferro. The female of the species is about 10 times as large as the male, and is likely to scurry away if approached too closely.
Rudy Mancke, naturalist in residence at the University of South Carolina, said he hasn't seen the Joro spider himself, but he received a report of it from Oconee County.
He's unsure of how the spider would handle colder weather, as it's a semi-tropical species. But as the climate warms up, it'll be easier for the spider to expand.
As a native of Spartanburg, Mancke said it's been fascinating to see more non-native species moving into the environment, subtly changing it over the decades.
The Joro spider likely made its way into Georgia through international transportation in Atlanta, Mancke said. Charleston, as a port city, could see that same cross-ocean exchange.
On the iNaturalist website, where anyone can log a wildlife sighting, one observer noted finding a Joro spider in Anderson in October. The rest of its recorded appearances, over 650, were in Georgia, many close to the border.
Mancke and Ferro both said it's too early to classify the Joro spider as an invasive species, since it may not have a large effect on the environment. Still, its size could easily cause horror for humans who encounter it in their gardens.
There's one bright spot — you're unlikely to find it spinning webs inside your house, Mancke said.
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Large Asian spider is crawling its way along the East Coast on its way to SC - Charleston Post Courier
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