Nephilengys cruentata

Nephilengys cruentata
female N. cruentata in Mozambique
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Nephilidae
Genus: Nephilengys
Species: N. cruentata
Binomial name
Nephilengys cruentata
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms

Aranea cruentata
Epeira diadela
Epeira brasiliensis
Epeira azzara
Nephila genualis
Nephila borbonica mossambicensis
Nephila brasiliensis
Araneus diadelus
Nephila cruentata chiloangensis

Nephilengys cruentata is a nephilid spider with a strikingly red sternum.

Females reach a length of about 24 mm. The legs can be uniformly dark red or brown, or annulated. Males are about 4 mm long .[1]

Distribution

N. cruentata is found in tropical and subtropical Africa and several limited areas of South America (Brazil, northern Colombia and Paraguay), where it has probably been introduced by humans in the late 19th century at the latest .[1]

Name

The species name cruentata is derived from Latin cruentus "bloody", probably referring to the female red sternum .[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Matjaž Kuntner (2007). "A monograph of Nephilengys, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae)". Systematic Entomology. 32 (1): 95–135. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.