Nephilengys
Encyclopedia
Nephilengys is a genus of tropical spiders of the family Nephilidae
(formerly placed in the Araneidae and Tetragnathidae), consisting of six currently described species. They are called hermit spiders in South Africa
.
and Clitaetra
. While the orbs of young spiders are roughly symmetric, adults place the web hub very close to the top frame. While most orb web spiders rebuild a damaged web completely, nephilid spiders, including Nephilengys, repair damaged parts. Unlike Nephila, Nephilengys does not produce yellow silk or a barrier web .
Nephilengys are nocturnal spiders, spending most of the day in their retreat and nights at the hub.
Portia. At least some species shake their bodies vigorously when touched. As many as 24 kleptoparasitic
Argyrodes
spiders have been found in the web of a single N. borbonica .
and Australasia
. N. cruentata was probably introduced to South America
from tropical Africa
.
-engy-, "near to" or "close to". "Hermit spider" is derived from the habit of Nephilengys to stay in its retreat during the day .
Kuntner will suggests that N. kenmorei does not belong to Nephilengys, and should be placed into the Araneidae, and that N. hirta is a junior synonym of Eustala fuscovittata (Araneidae); N. niahensis will probably be synonymized with N. malabarensis. N. papuana
, on the other hand, is to be split from N. malabarensis, of which it is nowadays considered a population without taxonomic rank .
Nephilidae
The Nephilidae are a spider family with 75 described species in four genera. They were formerly grouped in the families Araneidae and Tetragnathidae. The genus Singafrotypa was moved to Araneidae in 2002.All nephilid genera partially renew their webs....
(formerly placed in the Araneidae and Tetragnathidae), consisting of six currently described species. They are called hermit spiders in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Anatomy
Females are from 10 mm to 28 mm long. The prosoma has a wide and high head region. Unlike other nephilids, the carapace features strong erect spines. The edges of the carapace are lined with a row of long white hairs. Males are 3–6 mm long .Habits
Nephilengys is the most synanthropic (found in and around human dwellings) of the nephilid genera. They build their webs against substrates such as tree trunks or walls. These can have a diameter of up to one meter. Nephilengys species incorporate a tubular retreat into their webs into which they will escape when disturbed. The retreat is always built against a hard surface; the web is built against a substrate, like those of HerenniaHerennia
Herennia is a genus of spiders in the Nephilidae family with Australasian distribution. 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....
and Clitaetra
Clitaetra
Clitaetra is the least known of the four currently recognised nephilid spider genera. It occurs in Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka, hinting to a Gondwanan origin. The split between Clitaetra and other nephilids may be as old as 160 million years....
. While the orbs of young spiders are roughly symmetric, adults place the web hub very close to the top frame. While most orb web spiders rebuild a damaged web completely, nephilid spiders, including Nephilengys, repair damaged parts. Unlike Nephila, Nephilengys does not produce yellow silk or a barrier web .
Nephilengys are nocturnal spiders, spending most of the day in their retreat and nights at the hub.
Reproduction
Similar to the sister genus Nephila, the females are much larger than males, for example in N. malabariensis 20 mm versus 4 mm. Adult males do not build their own webs, but live with females, with sometimes several males found in the web of an adult or immature female. They accordingly lack silk glands producing sticky silk. Males often mate with a freshly moulted female, which cannot resist due to the softness of its cuticula. They often sever their mating organs, which are then found stuck in the female genital opening. Severed males may live on in their mate's web .Predators and parasites
N. malabarensis is being preyed upon by the spider-eating jumping spiderJumping spider
The jumping spider family contains more than 500 described genera and about 5,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders with about 13% of all species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among invertebrates and use it in courtship, hunting and navigation...
Portia. At least some species shake their bodies vigorously when touched. As many as 24 kleptoparasitic
Kleptoparasitism
Kleptoparasitism or cleptoparasitism is a form of feeding in which one animal takes prey or other food from another that has caught, collected, or otherwise prepared the food, including stored food...
Argyrodes
Argyrodes
Spiders of the genus Argyrodes , also called dewdrop spiders, occur worldwide. They are best known as kleptoparasites: they steal other spiders' prey. They invade and reside in their host's web even though they can spin their own webs...
spiders have been found in the web of a single N. borbonica .
Distribution
Nephilengys species occur in many tropical and subtropical regions of sub-Saharan AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. N. cruentata was probably introduced to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
from tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Name
The etymology of the genus name refers to these spiders' close relationship and similarity to the sister genus Nephila: Nephilengys = Nephila + Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
-engy-, "near to" or "close to". "Hermit spider" is derived from the habit of Nephilengys to stay in its retreat during the day .
Species
- Nephilengys borbonicaNephilengys borbonicaNephilengys borbonica is a nephilid spider from Madagascar and nearby islands .-Anatomy:The color of the abdomen ranges from dark grey to brown or purple....
(Vinson, 1863) (Mauritius, Bourbon, Rodriguez, Réunion)- Nephilengys borbonica livida (Vinson, 1863) (Madagascar, Comoro Is., Seychelles)
- Nephilengys cruentataNephilengys cruentataNephilengys cruentata is a nephilid spider with a strikingly red sternum.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 .-Distribution:N...
(Fabricius, 1775) (Tropical Africa & America) - Nephilengys hirta Taczanowski, 1873 (French Guiana)
- Nephilengys kenmorei Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 (Philippines)
- Nephilengys malabarensisNephilengys malabarensisNephilengys malabarensis is a nephilid spider.Females reach a body length of about 15 mm. The legs and palp are annulated yellow and black. Male body size less than 5 mm, with mostly grey-black legs .N...
(Walckenaer, 1842) (India to Philippines, Australia) - Nephilengys niahensis Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989 (Borneo)
Kuntner will suggests that N. kenmorei does not belong to Nephilengys, and should be placed into the Araneidae, and that N. hirta is a junior synonym of Eustala fuscovittata (Araneidae); N. niahensis will probably be synonymized with N. malabarensis. N. papuana
Nephilengys papuana
Nephilengys papuana is a species of nephilid spider.These animals are currently considered a population of Nephilengys malabarensis. An upcoming publication presents the case for them to be reinstated as a full species....
, on the other hand, is to be split from N. malabarensis, of which it is nowadays considered a population without taxonomic rank .
Further reading
- Schuck-Paim, C. (2000). Orb-webs as extended phenotypes: Web design and size assessment in contests between Nephilengys cruentata females (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) PDF