Argyrodes fissifrons

Split-faced silver spider
female from Taiwan
male from Australia in Cyrtophora web
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Theridiidae
Genus:	Argyrodes
Species:	A. fissifrons
Binomial name
Argyrodes fissifrons O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869

Argyrodes fissifrons, the split-faced silver spider, is a species of spider of the genus Argyrodes . It is found from Sri Lanka to China and Australia. ^[1]

Description

Diagnostic drawing of female

The female is larger than the male, at about 12mm in length. The abdomen is triangular, with the spinnerets pointing downwards and the hind-end pointing backwards. The body has silvery spots and has long and thin legs. The males have bumps on their head. After mating, male seals the epigyne of the female with a resin plug to inhibit further copulation. ^[2]

Ecology

A kleptoparasitic spider, it sometimes preys upon its host spider Agelena limbata , during or just after molting of the host. However, this species is much smaller than the host. ^[3] Recently, scientists found that their association with Cyrtophora spider webs, from Orchid Island, of Taiwan. Scientists finally found that A. fissifrons scavenge on webs of Cyrtophora hosts by collecting small preys ignored by the hosts. ^{[4] [5]}

Subspecies

• Argyrodes fissifrons fissifronsThorell, 1891 - Sri Lanka to China and Australia
• Argyrodes fissifrons terressaeThorell, 1891 - Nicobar Islands

See also

• List of Theridiidae species

References

1. "Argyrodes fissifrons O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
2. Koh, Joseph K. H. (2000). "Split-Faced Silver Spider". A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
3. Tanaka, Koichi (1984). "Rate of Predation by a Kleptoparasitic Spider, Argyrodes fissifrons, upon a Large Host Spider, Agelena limbata". The Journal of Arachnology. 12 (3): 363–367. JSTOR   3705367.
4. "Argyrodes fissifrons inhabiting webs of Cyrtophora hosts : Prey size distribution and Population Characteristics" (PDF). zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
5. Peng, P; Blamires, SJ; Agnarsson, I; Lin, HC; Tso, IM (2013). "A color-mediated mutualism between two arthropod predators". Curr. Biol. 23 (2): 172–6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.057 . PMID   23260470.