The joro spider (Trichonephila clavata) is native to Japan and Eastern Asia. The adult female is 17mm-25mm in size, and is easily recognized by its yellow and black/blue stripes and red abdomen. The much smaller male (7mm-10mm) will mate with a female in the fall. To find females the males will travel using a technique called ballooning. The male will disperse silk which will allow them to travel by the wind. After mating, the female will spin an egg sack and lay between 400-1200 eggs in a single sack. The juvenile spiders will emerge from the eggs sack in the spring.

The joro spider is an orb-weaver meaning it will build a large web that can reach greater then one meter in size. The webs are usually built on trees or large bushes, but can sometimes be found on people's properties. The purpose of the web is to catch insects which is the joro spider's prey. In turn the spider can be preyed upon by larger animals that will eat invertebrates such as birds.

The joro spider has a venomous bite that can be deadly towards insects, but is relativity harmless towards people. Joro spiders are typically shy and docile around humans. They rarely bite, and only when they feel threatened.

The joro spiders (Trichonephila clavata) was first discovered to be in the United States in 2014 in Braselton, Ga ( about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta). It is believed that they were accidently introduced by shipping trucks and containers. Since its initial introduction it has quickly spread across the Southeastern United States, primary in Northeastern Georgia. The spread of the joro spider was tracked by citizen sightings primarily using the online naturalist program, iNaturalist. Based on citizen sightings, the current joro spider's range is estimated to be close to 40,000 per square kilometers. Researchers from the University of Georgia have predicted that the spiders could eventually spread across the entire east coast of the United States, since the spiders can tolerate brief periods of below-freezing temperature.

Despite its rapid growth, local entomologists do not think that the joro spider will have a negative impact on the native biodiversity. It has been found that the joro spider is one of the few species that will prey on another invasive species, the brown marmorated sink bug (Halyomorpha halys), which can be detrimental to crops. The joro spiders may also be an additional food source to birds and other predators that regularly consume spiders. So far it appears that the largest concern about the joro spider is that it can be considered a mild nuisance due to webs be built on people's houses or on other inconvenient locations, and people accidently walking through the webs.

The joro spider's introduction to the United States is still fairly new and its growth is rapid, because of this there is still a lot that is unknown about how the spider will effect its new ecosystem. Continued monitoring and research should take place, so that more is understood about the joro spider's impact of the biodiversity in the Eastern United States.