Unexpected Discovery in the Valley of Monasteries

First record of wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) in Mongolia: 7 August 2025 in the Valley of Monasteries, 119° 9' 54.69" E, 47° 12' 9.25" N. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Zoo Praha

I would like to point out that systematic research—botanical, entomological and first of all parasitological—carried out by professionals has been underway for several years in the Valley of Monasteries, where we plan to return Przewalski’s horses. In my case it was just a hobby without a slightest professional ambition.

When we finished all we planned in the Valley of Monasteries and were returning to the base, David Broda called me. He asked me if I wanted to take a photo of a spider he found in the grass. Of course I wanted to.

It was a large, black and yellow coloured orb-weaver spider. Or to be more precise, a female of orb-weaver spider. I immediately thought that most probably it would be wasp spider, which lives in Czech Republic as well and calls the attention of amateurs by its colour and size, while for experts it is interesting because it has only recently spread across Europe; specifically, it has only been living in the Czech Republic since the 1990s. But: could this type of spider be found in eastern Mongolia? I didn't know that.

I uploaded one of my photos to iNaturalist and stated there that most probably it is a spider of Agriope genus. Other users not only confirmed this but also made my identification more precise to the species Argiope bruennichi. They confirmed my initial impression that we had found a wasp spider in the Valley of Monasteries. But that was not all. Soon, a notification appeared next to my entry that this striking, interesting, and highly monitored spider had never been found in Mongolia before!

Seriously? I didn’t want to believe it. But when I opened the map of all observations of wasp spider, it turned out that although there are many of them both west and east of Mongolia, but only one within its border. Our one from the Valley of Monasteries.

I started searching in reference books. However, there was no single mention of the occurrence of wasp spider in Mongolia. Only one article published in 2016 gave an account of the first discovery of a representative of Argiopinae subfamily in Mongolia, particularly of closely related Argiope lobata.

The time came to hand the entire matter to experts. I contacted the specialist Vladimír Hula. He verified the correct identification (fortunately wasp spider can be identified using photos) and then set about studying literature, checking databases and consulting with colleagues abroad. Soon he confirmed that we indeed are the first who documented the occurrence of wasp spider in the country of Genghis Khan! Great news!

Well, it is worth looking around carefully, especially when you are in a remote area. But of course, not only there...

Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo