Argyrodes argentatus

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Silver comb-footed spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Argyrodes
Species: A. argentatus
Binomial name
Argyrodes argentatus
O. P-Cambridge, 1880

Argyrodes argentatus is a kleptoparasitic spider.

In Singapore, it is often seen in webs of Nephila antipodiana.

On Guam it can often be found hanging in webs of the much larger spider Argiope appensa: while A. appensa can reach a body length of about 7cm, A. argentatus females reach only 3mm, and males 2mm at the most.

Like in rats, the male seals the female's epigyne with a plug after mating, preventing the female from further mating.

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[edit] Distribution

It has been found in China, Japan, Guam, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the East Indies (Singapore, New Guinea), and Hawai'i.

[edit] Name

The species name argentatus means "silvery" in Latin.

[edit] References

  • Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1880). On some new and little known spiders of the genus Argyrodes. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1880:320-344.
  • Kerr, A.M. (2005). Behavior of web-invading spiders Argyrodes argentatus (Theridiidae) in Argiope appensa (Araneidae) host webs in Guam. Journal of Arachnology 33(1): Abstract PDF

[edit] External links