Oxyopes sertatus

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Oxyopes sertatus
Oxyopes.sertatus.female.-.tanikawa.jpg
female from Okinawa
Oxyopes.sertatus.male.-.tanikawa.jpg
male from Okinawa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Oxyopidae
Genus: Oxyopes
Species:
O. sertatus
Binomial name
Oxyopes sertatus
L. Koch, 1878
Synonyms
  • Argiope aequiorChamberlin, 1924

Oxyopes sertatus is a species of lynx spider in the family Oxyopidae. [1] It is native to East Asia, where it is distributed across India, Nepal, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1878 based on specimens from Japan. [1] [2] The holotype, an immature female, is deposited in the Natural History Museum, London. [1] [3]

In 1924, Ralph V. Chamberlin described Argiope aequior from specimens collected in China, but this was later determined to be a synonym of O. sertatus by Song Daxiang in 1988. [1] [4]

Distribution

O. sertatus has a wide distribution across East Asia, with records from India, Nepal, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. [1] The species was first reported from India in 2020, extending its known range westward. [5]

Description

O. sertatus exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females being larger than males. [6] Based on the original description by Bösenberg and Strand (1906), females range from 7–11 mm in total length, while males are approximately 9 mm. [6]

The carapace is pale brownish, sometimes appearing greenish in life, with the eye region situated on a yellowish field with pale yellow hairs. [6] Behind each of the six upper eyes is a deep black spot that is usually larger than the eyes themselves. [6] The abdomen is yellowish-white with a broad brownish or gray-brown cardiac stripe that often extends to the spinnerets. [6] Diagonal dark stripes extend from the sides toward the center of the abdomen. [6]

The legs are brownish-yellow with strong, long spines, particularly prominent on the tibiae and metatarsi. [6]

Biological control

O. sertatus has been studied extensively for its role as a biological control agent of agricultural pests. In 1961, Izumi Kayashima conducted a notable field experiment in Japan, releasing 45,000 individuals of O. sertatus into a Cryptomeria forest to control the gall midge Contarinia inouyei . [7] The study demonstrated a 53% reduction in damage caused by the pest, highlighting the species' potential as a biocontrol agent. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Oxyopes sertatus L. Koch, 1878". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  2. ↑ Koch, L. (1878). "Japanesische Arachniden und Myriapoden". Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 27 (1877): 735–798.
  3. ↑ Lo, Y.Y.; Cheng, R.C.; Lin, C.P. (2021). "Species delimitation and taxonomic revision of Oxyopes (Araneae: Oxyopidae) of Taiwan, with description of two new species". Zootaxa. 4927 (1): 58–86. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4927.1.4.
  4. ↑ Song, D.X. (1988). "A revision of the Chinese spiders described by Chamberlin". Sinozoologia. 6: 123–136.
  5. ↑ Palita, S.K.; De, K.; Choudhury, S.R.; Das, S.K. (2020). "First report of the lynx spider Oxyopes sertatus L. Koch, 1878 (Araneae: Oxyopidae) from India". Serket. 17 (2): 136–138.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bösenberg, W.; Strand, E. (1906). "Japanische Spinnen". Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft. 30: 93–422.
  7. 1 2 Kayashima, I. (1961). "Study on the lynx-spider Oxyopes sertatus L. Koch for biological control of Contarinia inouyei". Review of Applied Entomology. 51: 413.
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