Nephilengys cruentata

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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 millimeters. The legs can be uniformly dark red or brown, or annulated. Males are about 4mm long.^[1]

[edit] 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]

[edit] Name

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

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Kuntner, M (in print). A monograph of Nephilengys, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae). Systematic Entomology 32(1):xx-xx. Abstract - DOI:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x [Unpublished for the purposes of zoological nomenclature (Art. 8.2. ICZN)]