Nephilingis cruentata is an nephilid spider with a strikingly red sternum.
| Nephilingis cruentata | |
|---|---|
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| Female in Mozambique | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Nephilidae |
| Genus: | Nephilingis |
| Species: | N. cruentata
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| Binomial name | |
| Nephilingis cruentata | |
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| Synonyms | |
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List
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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.[2]
Taxonomy
editThe species was first described in 1775 by Johan Fabricius, as Araneus cruentata. In 1887, Eugène Simon transferred it to the genus Nephilengys. In 2013, 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.[1][3]
Distribution
editN. 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.[2]
Name
editThe species name cruentata is derived from Latin cruentus "bloody", probably referring to the female red sternum.[2]
References
edit
- ^ a b "Taxon details Nephilingis cruentata (Fabricius, 1775)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
- ^ a b c Matjaž Kuntner (2007). "A monograph of Nephilengys, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae)". Systematic Entomology. 32 (1): 95–135. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.
- ^ 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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.008. PMID 23811436.