Argyrodes colubrinus

Argyrodes colubrinus
Whip spider at Chatswood West, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Theridiidae
Genus:	Argyrodes
Species:	A. colubrinus
Binomial name
Argyrodes colubrinus Keyserling, 1890
Synonyms
Ariamnes colubrinus

Argyrodes colubrinus, known as the whip spider, is a common Australian spider belonging to the family Theridiidae.^[1] It is found in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

A small thin spider resembling a twig. Often found resting on one or two threads of silk. It eats wandering spiders, mostly juveniles (and some insects). The whip spider waits above the few strands of silk of its snare. When a small wandering spider hits the silk, this causes the whip spider to descend. The whip spider uses the "comb foot" of its end segment of the last pair of legs to wrap the meal in silk.^[2]

Description and habit

Long and thin, the body length of males is 13 millimetres (0.51 in) and females is 22 mm (0.87 in). Body colour varies from cream, brown or greenish. Often found around a metre above the ground.

Egg sacs are 4 by 3 mm (0.16 by 0.12 in) in size, with a small lip on the base. The egg sac is suspended from a single strong thread. 40 to 50 yellow green eggs per sac, eggs 0.7 mm in diameter.^[3]

References