| Silver comb-footed spider | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Argyrodes |
| Species: | A. argentatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Argyrodes argentatus
O. P-Cambridge, 1880
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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 total 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
- 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 Archived 2006-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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