| Nephilingis dodo | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Nephilidae |
| Genus: | Nephilingis |
| Species: | N. dodo |
| Binomial name | |
| Nephilingis dodo | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Nephilengys dodo | |
Nephilingis dodo is an nephilid spider endemic to Mauritius. [1] It was found to be separate from the related species Nephilingis borbonica in 2011. [2]
The abdomen is strikingly white. Females reach a length of about 23mm. [2]
Only 5 to 6 mm in length, males have a grey abdomen with white spots and a yellow-brown sternum. [2]
N. dodo is endemic to Mauritius, where it inhabits the native forests. [2]
Named after the vernacular of the extinct flightless bird from Mauritius, the dodo ( Raphus cucullatus ). These two species once shared their habitat, the increasingly rare native forests in Mauritius. The specific name, a noun in apposition, is meant to increase awareness of the need for urgent conservation of the Mauritius biota. [2]
The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire. The two formed the subfamily Raphinae, a clade of extinct flightless birds that were a part of the family which includes pigeons and doves. The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. A white dodo was once thought to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but it is now believed that this assumption was merely confusion based on the also-extinct Réunion ibis and paintings of white dodos.
Trichonephila clavipes, commonly known as the golden silk orb-weaver, golden silk spider, or colloquially banana spider, is an orb-weaving spider species which inhabits forests and wooded areas ranging from the southern US to Argentina. It is indigenous to both continental North and South America. Known for the golden color of their silk, the large size of their females, and their distinctive red-brown and yellow coloring, T. clavipes construct large, asymmetrical circular webs attached to trees and low shrubs in woods to catch small- and medium-size flying prey, mostly insects. They are excellent web-builders, producing and utilizing seven different types of silk, and they subdue their prey by injecting them with venom, as opposed to related species which immobilize their prey by wrapping them in silk first. They are not known to be aggressive towards humans, only biting out of self-defense if touched, and their relatively harmless venom has a low toxicity, posing little health concern to healthy human adults. Due to their prevalence in forests, T. clavipes may be encountered by hikers.
Psechridae is a family of araneomorph spiders with about 70 species in two genera. These are among the biggest cribellate spiders with body lengths up to 2 centimetres (0.79 in) and funnel webs more than 1 metre in diameter.
Trichonephila edulis is a species of large spider of the family Nephilidae, formerly placed in the genus Nephila. It is referred to by the common name Australian golden orb weaver. It is found in Indonesia from Java eastwards, Papua New Guinea, Australia, northern New Zealand, and New Caledonia.
Nephilengys is a genus of tropical spiders of the family Nephilidae, consisting of two currently described species. The genus Nephilingis has been split off from this genus. Both genera have been called hermit spiders from the habit staying in their retreats during the day; the name eunuch spiders has been used for Nephilengys alone. Males may sever parts of their palpal bulbs after copulation.
Herennia is a genus of spiders in the family Nephilidae, found from India to northern Australia. While two species have been known since the 19th century, nine new species were described in 2005. Spiders in this genus are sometimes called coin spiders.
Nephilingis cruentata is an nephilid spider with a strikingly red sternum.
Nephilingis borbonica is an nephilid spider from Réunion. It was once thought to also inhabit Madagascar and other nearby islands, however these were determined in 2011 to be a different species, Nephilingis livida, while specimens from Mauritius were placed in the new species Nephilingis dodo.
Nephilengys malabarensis is an nephilid spider.
Nephilengys papuana is a species of nephilid spider.
Anelosimus is a cosmopolitan genus of cobweb spiders (Theridiidae), currently containing 74 species. Anelosimus is a key group in the study of sociality and its evolution in spiders. It contains species spanning the spectrum from solitary to highly social (quasisocial), with eight quasisocial species, far more than any other spider genus. Among these is the South American social species Anelosimus eximius, among the best studied social spider species.
Darwin's bark spider is an orb-weaver spider that produces the largest known orb webs, ranging from 900 to 28,000 square centimetres, with bridge lines spanning up to 25 metres (82 ft). The spider was discovered in Madagascar in the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in 2009. Its silk is the toughest biological material ever studied. Its tensile strength is 1.6 GPa. The species was named in honour of the naturalist Charles Darwin on November 24, 2009—precisely 150 years after the publication of The Origin of Species.
Mongolarachne is an extinct genus of spiders placed in the monogeneric family Mongolarachnidae. The genus contains only one species, Mongolarachne jurassica, described in 2013, which is presently the largest fossilized spider on record. The type species was originally described as Nephila jurassica and placed in the living genus Nephila which contains the golden silk orb-weavers.
Nephilingis livida is an nephilid spider from Madagascar and nearby islands. It was found to be separate from the related species Nephilingis borbonica in 2011
Anelosimus pratchetti is a species of tangle-web spider found in New South Wales, Australia. Initial field observations indicate it is a subsocial spider. It lives in low elevation environments, including beachfront mangrove forests. It was identified by Ingi Agnarsson in 2012, who named the species after Terry Pratchett, whom Agnarsson described as "a comic genius".
Herennia multipuncta, commonly known as the spotted coin spider, is a species of spider in the family Nephilidae native to Asia. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, the female being much larger than the male. It weaves a small web on the trunk of a tree or the wall of a building and is well camouflaged by its dappled colouration.
Anelosimus buffoni is a species of tangle-web spiders in the Madagascar group of the genus Anelosimus. It is known only from Périnet Special Reserve, Toamasina Province, Madagascar. Adults of the species have a total length of 4.1mm, and is physically similar to several other Madagascar group spiders, particularly A. andasibe and A. wallacei. It is primarily diagnosed using genetics. The species is named for Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.
Nephilingis is a genus of spiders in the family Nephilidae. It was split off from the genus Nephilengys in 2006. Both genera have been called hermit spiders from the habit of staying in their retreats during the day; alternatively the name "hermit spider" may be reserved for Nephilingis, with Nephilengys species called "eunuch spiders".
Nephilidae is a spider family commonly referred to as golden orb-weavers. The various genera in Nephilidae were formerly placed in Tetragnathidae and Araneidae. All nephilid genera partially renew their webs.
Artifex melanopyga, synonym Phonognatha melanopyga, referred to as a leaf curling spider, is a common Australian spider found in moist coastal areas of New South Wales and Queensland. A small member of the family Araneidae, the orb-weavers, it was previously placed in Tetragnathidae.
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