Heteropoda davidbowie

Last updated

Heteropoda davidbowie
David Bowie spider.jpg
Individual seen in Singapore
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Heteropoda
Species:
H. davidbowie
Binomial name
Heteropoda davidbowie
Jäger, 2008 [1]

Heteropoda davidbowie is a species of huntsman spider of the genus Heteropoda . It was described from the Cameron Highlands District in peninsular Malaysia and named in honour of singer David Bowie. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

Heteropoda davidbowie was first described by Peter Jäger in 2008, based on a specimen collected by G. Ackermann in 2007 in the Cameron Highlands of peninsular Malaysia. The species name honours David Bowie, with particular reference to songs such as "Glass Spider" (from the 1987 album Never Let Me Down ), as well as the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars , and the resemblance of the frontal view of the spider to the singer's painted face in his early career. [3]

Description

Front view of spider Heteropoda davidbowie.jpg
Front view of spider
The eye arrangement of spiders in the genus Heteropoda Heteropoda eye group.svg
The eye arrangement of spiders in the genus Heteropoda

They are sexually dimorphic and body length ranges from medium to large: the male 15.3–18.2 millimetres (0.60–0.72 in); the female 21.3–25.3 mm (0.84–1.00 in). [2] Males have an overall reddish brown dorsum with distinct brightly colored hairs forming patches and lines. The body has short dense hair, prominently interspersed with long bright orange hairs. The posterior half of body has a distinct red line surrounded by red hairs. The pedipalps are black, and the legs lack any distinct pattern. Females are similar to males, but the female's dorsum coloration may vary from greyish to reddish brown. Their legs are annulated with dark spots on bright regions, and there is a prominent triangular patch on the venter between the epigastric furrow and spinnerets. [3]

Distribution

Heteropoda davidbowie is found in West Malaysia (Cameron Highlands), Singapore, Sumatra and possibly southern Thailand. [3]

Natural history and ecology

Adults are often seen on tree bark. Juveniles have been found on leaf litter and leaves on shrubs. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntsman spider</span> Family of spiders (Sparassidae)

Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae, are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometimes are referred to as wood spiders, because of their preference for woody places. In southern Africa the genus Palystes are known as rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders. Commonly, they are confused with baboon spiders from the Mygalomorphae infraorder, which are not closely related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider wasp</span> Family of wasps

Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary, and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders.

<i>Brachypelma</i> Genus of spiders

Brachypelma is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). They may have bodies up to 6 cm long with legs of similar or greater lengths. Some species have brightly colored legs, with red or orange marks and rings.

<i>Heteropoda venatoria</i> Species of spider

Heteropoda venatoria is a species of spider in the family Sparassidae, the huntsman spiders. It is native to the tropical regions of the world, and it is present in some subtropical areas as an introduced species. Its common names include giant crab spider, banana huntsman spider or cane spider.

<i>Heteropoda</i> Genus of spiders

Heteropoda is a genus of spiders in the family Sparassidae, the huntsman spiders. They are mainly distributed in tropical Asia and Australia, while at least one species, H. venatoria, has a cosmopolitan distribution, and H. variegata occurs in the Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-rumped parrot</span> Species of bird

The blue-rumped parrot is a parrot found in the very southern tip of Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and nearby islands. It is a small parrot (18 cm) and is primarily green with bright red underwing coverts, a reddish shoulder patch, and yellowish margins on the wing coverts. It is sexually dimorphic. The female has a grey-brown head. The male has a black mantle, red upper mandible, and blue head and rump.

<i>Xenophrys longipes</i> Species of frog

Xenophrys longipes is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae. It is also known as the Malacca spadefoot toad, red legged spine-eyed frog, red-legged horn frog, and slender-legged horned frog. It is found in the Malay Peninsula. Records from Cambodia and Vietnam are considered doubtful.

<i>Argiope anasuja</i> Species of spider

Argiope anasuja, is a species of harmless orb-weaver spider found from the Seychelles to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in the Maldives and in the Brazil.

<i>Maevia inclemens</i> Species of spider

Maevia inclemens or the Dimorphic Jumping Spider is a relatively common and colorful jumping spider of North America. In the males there are two forms, a very rare phenomenon in zoology. These use different courting displays, and differ in appearance: the "tufted" morph has a black body and pedipalps ("palps"), three black tufts across its "head", and pale legs; and the "gray" morph has black and white stripes all over its body and legs, orange palps, and no tufts. However, each form accounts for 50% of the adult males, and they are equally successful in mating. A female of Maevia inclemens is 6.5 to 8.0 millimetres long, while males are 4.75 to 6.50 millimetres long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarantula</span> Family of spiders

Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. As of August 2022, 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although many other members of the same infraorder (Mygalomorphae) are commonly referred to as "tarantulas" or "false tarantulas". Some of the more common species have become popular in the exotic pet trade. Many New World species kept as pets have setae known as urticating hairs that can cause irritation to the skin, and in extreme cases, cause damage to the eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant huntsman spider</span> Species of spider

The giant huntsman spider is a species of the huntsman spider family Sparassidae found in Laos. It is considered the world's largest spider by leg span, which can reach up to 30 cm (1 ft).

Ansonia jeetsukumarani is a species of toads in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Peninsular Malaysia and known from its type locality, Fraser's Hill, and from Sungai Pergau. It is named in honour of Jeet Sukumaran, a biologist who has worked with Malaysian amphibians.

<i>Heteropoda cervina</i> Species of spider

Heteropoda cervina, commonly called the brown huntsman, is a large species of spider in the family Sparassidae often found in leaf litter in central Queensland, Australia. The species was first described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1875 as Sarotes cervinus.

<i>Palystes</i> Genus of spiders

Palystes is a genus of huntsman spiders, commonly called rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders, occurring in Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific. The most common and widespread species is P. superciliosus, found in South Africa, home to 12 species in the genus. The name Palystes is derived from either the Latin palaestes or the Greek palaistes, meaning "wrestler". The genus was first described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1875.

The giant Laotian harvestman is the unofficial name for an as-yet undescribed species of Opiliones belonging to the family Sclerosomatidae. The species was discovered in April 2012 near a cave in the southern province of Khammouan, by Dr. Peter Jäger of the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, whilst shooting a television documentary about the wildlife of Laos.

Peter Jäger is a German arachnologist, and current Head of Arachnology at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany.

<i>Oxyopes heterophthalmus</i> Species of spider

Oxyopes heterophthalmus is a lynx spider from the family Oxyopidae, it is the type species of the genus Oxyopes and was described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, it has a Palearctic distribution.

Silana farinosa, commonly known as curry-leaf tortoise beetle, is a species of leaf beetle native to Indo-China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and introduced to Peninsular Malaysia.

<i>Heteropoda jugulans</i> Species of spider

Heteropoda jugulans, sometimes called the brown huntsman, is a species of spider endemic to parts of Eastern Australia. It is a member of the genus Heteropoda of huntsman spider.

<i>Trabala pallida</i> Species of moth

Trabala pallida is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae. They can be found from Southeast China, south throughout Thailand and most of Sundaland. One subspecies is Trabala pallida montana.

References

  1. "Taxon details Heteropoda davidbowie Jäger, 2008", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-01-12
  2. 1 2 "David Bowie spider videos, photos and facts - Heteropoda davidbowie". ARKive . Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jäger, P. (2008). "Revision of the huntsman spider genus Heteropoda Latreille 1804: species with exceptional male palpal conformations from southeast Asia and Australia (Arachnida, Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropodinae)". Senckenbergiana Biologica. 88: 239–310.