Invasive flying spiders named after ‘beautiful’ shapeshifter who devours handsome men

dailystar.co.uk:

spiders have started terrorising people across an entire region — leading some to discover the mysterious past behind the annoying critters.Sightings of the eight-legged Joro, which is capable of spinning webs that can be up to ten feet deep, have been reported in Georgia and South Carolina in the United States.The invasive species from Japan is characterised by a bright yellow, blue and red colour across its abdomen, and can grow to be up to 3 inches wide.Researchers currently expect them to spread across the east coast of the United States as their population increases but have reassured residents that they are entirely harmless to humans.They could even help bring down populations of brown marmorated stink bugs, another invasive species which is causing problems in America.What's more, they bring with them an unusually rich mythology behind their name.In Japanese folklore, the Jorōgumo is a supernatural creature which is part beautiful woman, and part spider.A collection of tales called Tonoigusa penned by Ogita Ansei in 1660 tells the story of a young samurai warrior who meets an attractive young lady aged 19 or 20 who carries her young baby in her arms.She tells the baby that the samurai is her father, and from this moment there is the suggestion of a long and happy romance.But before long the warrior realises the woman has a terrible secret, and slashes her with his blade, causing her to flee.When he sneaks up to the attic where she is living the next morning, he makes a shocking discovery — the woman is huge joro about half a metre in size.While there is nothing to suggest that America's newest bug can lure humans with romance, back in their home country they grow so large that they can catch small birds in their.