Nephilingis cruentata

Nephilingis cruentata
Female in Mozambique
Juvenile in South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Nephilidae
Genus:	Nephilingis
Species:	N. cruentata
Binomial name
Nephilingis cruentata (Fabricius, 1775) [1]
Synonyms [2]
Aranea cruentataFabricius, 1775 Epeira diadelaWalckenaer, 1841 Epeira brasiliensisWalckenaer, 1841 Epeira azzaraWalckenaer, 1841 Nephilengys genualisGerstaecker, 1873 Nephila brasiliensisBertkau, 1880 Nephilengys cruentataSimon, 1887 Araneus diadelusPetrunkevitch, 1911

Nephilingis cruentata is an nephilid spider with a strikingly red sternum.

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. ^[3]

Habitat and ecology

In South Africa, the species inhabits multiple biomes including Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Forest and Savanna biomes. ^[4] Nephilingis cruentata builds asymmetrical white orb-webs, often against tree trunks, walls or large rocks with a funnel-shaped retreat on the side. The spiders are frequently found under the overhangs of roofs. The webs are large, measuring 1-1.5 m in diameter. ^[4]

Description

• 
  female
• 
• 
  female

See also: Glossary of spider terms

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. ^[3]

Name

The species name cruentata is derived from Latin cruentus "bloody", referring to the female red sternum. ^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described in 1775 by Johan Fabricius, as Araneus cruentata. In 1887, Eugène Simon transferred it to the genus Nephilengys . In 2013, species:Matjaž Kuntner et al. decided that four species of Nephilengys were sufficiently different to require an alternative generic placement. Accordingly, they erected the genus Nephilingis with Nephilingis cruentata as the type species. ^{[2] [5]}

Conservation

Nephilingis cruentata is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range and common occurrence. The species is protected in eight protected areas including Ophathe Game Reserve and Ndumo Game Reserve. There are no significant threats to the species. ^[4]

References

1. Fabricius, J.C. (1775). "Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species, adiectis, synonymis, locis descriptionibus observationibus". Libraria Kortii, Flensbvrgi et Lipsiae: 439. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.36510.
2. "Nephilingis cruentata (Fabricius, 1775)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
3. Matjaž Kuntner (2007). "A monograph of Nephilengys, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae)". Systematic Entomology . 32 (1): 95–135. Bibcode:2007SysEn..32...95K. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.
4. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 3 (Ne-U). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 23, 28. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326991.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
5. Kuntner, M.; Arnedo, M. A.; Trontelj, P.; Lokovsek, T. & Agnarsson, I. (2013). "A molecular phylogeny of nephilid spiders: evolutionary history of a model lineage". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 961–979. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..961K. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.008. PMID   23811436.