The specific name higenaga derives from Japanese ヒゲナガ, where hige (髭) means "mustache" and naga (長) means "long".[2]
Distribution
H. higenaga is found across East Asia, with confirmed records from China, Taiwan, and Japan.[1] In China, it has been documented from multiple provinces including Yunnan.[3]
Habitat
Like other nursery web spiders, H. higenaga is typically found in terrestrial environments where it can construct protective webs for its offspring. Members of the genus Hygropoda are known to inhabit areas near water sources and vegetation.[4]
Description
H. higenaga exhibits the typical characteristics of nursery web spiders, with elongated legs and a streamlined body form.[5] The species shows sexual dimorphism, with females generally larger than males. Based on the original description, females have a body length of approximately 9.2mm with a cephalothorax measuring 4.30 × 3.70mm and abdomen 5.20 × 2.40mm.[3] Males are smaller, with a body length of about 10.4mm and cephalothorax measuring 4.80 × 4.20mm.[3]
The species displays brownish coloration with distinctive markings. The cephalothorax shows a yellowish-brown color with darker lateral bands, while the abdomen exhibits complex patterns including cardiac markings and lateral stripes.[3] Like other members of its genus, H. higenaga possesses the characteristic three claws on each tarsus and has well-developed chelicerae with three teeth on both the anterior and posterior margins.[5]
Behavior and life cycle
waiting position
As a nursery web spider, females of H. higenaga exhibit characteristic maternal care behavior. They carry their egg sacs in their chelicerae until the eggs are ready to hatch, at which point they construct a protective nursery web. The female guards this nursery web until the spiderlings are ready to disperse after their first molt.[6]
The species is an active hunter that does not construct prey-capture webs, instead relying on ambush tactics to capture small arthropod prey.[4]
Taxonomy
Hygropoda higenaga was originally described by Kishida in 1936 as Dolomedes higenaga based on specimens from Japan.[2] In 1965, Yaginuma transferred the species to the genus Hygropoda, recognizing its closer affinities with other Asian species in that genus rather than the primarily aquatic Dolomedes.[5]
The species Hygropoda hippocrepiforma, described by Wang in 1993 from China, was later determined to be a junior synonym of H. higenaga by Zhang and Zhang in 2003.[7]
1 2 3 Yaginuma, T. (1965). "Revision of families, genera and species of Japanese spiders (2)". Acta Arachnologica. 19 (2): 28–36_2. doi:10.2476/asjaa.19.28.
↑ Tanikawa, A.; Ono, H. (2009). "Pisauridae". In Ono, H. (ed.). The spiders of Japan with keys to the families and genera and illustrations of the species. Kanagawa: Tokai University Press. p.216.
↑ Zhang, J.X.; Zhang, C. (2003). "Taxonomic studies on two pisaurid species from China (Araneae: Pisauridae)". Acta Arachnologica Sinica. 12: 14–17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
