| Nephilingis dodo | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Nephilidae |
| Genus: | Nephilingis |
| Species: | N. dodo
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nephilingis dodo | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
|
Nephilengys dodo | |
Nephilingis dodo is an nephilid spider endemic to Mauritius. [1] It was found to be separate from the related species Nephilingis borbonica in 2011. [2]
Anatomy
Female
The abdomen is strikingly white. Females reach a length of about 23mm. [2]
Male
Only 5 to 6 mm in length, males have a grey abdomen with white spots and a yellow-brown sternum. [2]
Distribution
N. dodo is endemic to Mauritius, where it inhabits the native forests. [2]
Name
Named after the vernacular of the extinct flightless bird from Mauritius, the dodo ( Raphus cucullatus). These two species once shared their habitat, the increasingly rare native forests in Mauritius. The specific name, a noun in apposition, is meant to increase awareness of the need for urgent conservation of the Mauritius biota. [2]
References
- ^ a b c "Taxon details Nephilingis dodo (Kuntner & Agnarsson, 2011)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-05-12
- ^ a b c d e Kuntner & Agnarsson 2011: Biogeography and diversification of hermit spiders on Indian Ocean islands (Nephilidae: Nephilengys). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59:477-488.
- Matjaž Kuntner (2007). "A monograph of Nephilengys, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae)". Systematic Entomology. 32 (1): 95–135. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.
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