Nephilengys cruentata

Nephilengys cruentata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Suborder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Nephilidae
Genus:	Nephilengys
Species:	N. cruentata
Binomial name
Nephilengys cruentata (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Aranea cruentata Epeira diadela Epeira brasiliensis Epeira azzara Nephila genualis Nephila borbonica mossambicensis Nephila brasiliensis Araneus diadelus Nephila cruentata chiloangensis

Nephilengys 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 ^[1].

Distribution

N. 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 ^[1].

Name

The species name cruentata is derived from Latin cruentus "bloody", probably referring to the female red sternum ^[1].

References

1. ^ ^{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. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.