Argyrodes argentatus

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 7 cm, A. argentatus females reach only 3mm, and males 2mm at the most.

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

Distribution

It has been found in China, Japan, Guam, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the East Indies (Singapore, New Guinea), and Hawaii.

Name

The species name argentatus means "silvery" in Latin.

References

External links

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