Zoropsis spinimana
| Zoropsis spinimana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mediterranean Spider (Zoropsis spinimana) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zoropsidae |
| Genus: | Zoropsis |
| Species: | Z. spinimana |
| Binomial name | |
| Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820) | |
Zoropsis spinimana is a spider species, belonging to the family Zoropsidae.
Distribution
It is distributed widely in the Mediterranean, but reaches into Russia, and was introduced to the United States, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Description
Males of the spider species Zoropsis spinimana reach a length of about 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in), while females are 15–18 millimetres (0.59–0.71 in) long. This spider looks rather like a wolf spider as its eyes are of the same configuration, but unlike wolf spiders, the eyes of Zoropsis spiders are more spread out along the front third of the cephalothorax. The front body (prosoma) is brownish with broad darker markings. The abdomen (opisthosoma) has median black markings. The legs are mainly a speckled brown color.
Habitat
Spiders of the species can be found on forest edges under rocks and tree bark, where they hunt for prey during the night. Like all zoropsid spiders, Zoropsis spinimana does not build a web but hunts freely. Since this spider cannot survive in a harsh climate, it often seeks refuge in human habituation and is frequently found in houses where the temperature is milder for it and the food is more abundant.
Reproduction
Spiders of the species Zoropsis spinimana are sexually mature in autumn. The females lay eggs in spring, resting in a brood chamber on the cocoon.
References
- Davidson, Keay (Jan. 26, 2006). "House Spider Migrant Setting Up In Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle.
- Griswold, Charles E. and Ubick, Darrell (2001). "Zoropsidae: A Spider Family Newly Introduced to the USA". The Journal of Arachnology 29:111-113.
- Vetter, Rick (May–June 2002). "Zoropsis spinimana: A Mediterranean spider in the San Francisco Bay Area makes some cry wolf". Outdoor California Magazine Vol. 63, No. 3.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zoropsis spinimana. |
- Invasive Species: Zoropsis spinimana (California Academy of Sciences)
- Zoropsis spinimana (U.C. Riverside Photo Gallery)
