Description: The spider species Argiope aurantia is commonly known as the Black and Yellow Garden Spider, Writing Spider or Corn Spider . It is common to the lower 48 of the United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. They have distinctive yellow and black markings on their abdomens and a mostly white cephalothorax. Males range from 5 to 9 mm females from 19 to 28 mm. Like other members of Argiope and almost all other spider species, they are considered harmless to humans.