Tags: Arachnid.
Araneus gemma commonly known as the Cat-faced Spider (a name shared with Araneus gemmoides) is a common outdoor orb-weaver spider found in the western United States and Canada.Like most Araneus species A. gemma is harmless to humans. It contains a venomous toxin of low molecular weight called argiotoxin that antagonizes the actions of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Dopamine was also identified in the venom of A. gemma in a concentration of 4.3 nM.The web silk of the A.
