Nephilingis borbonica is an nephilid spider from Réunion.[1] It was once thought to also inhabit Madagascar and other nearby islands, however these were determined in 2011 to be a different species, Nephilingis livida, while specimens from Mauritius were placed in the new species Nephilingis dodo.[2]
| Nephilingis borbonica | |
|---|---|
| |
| female N. borbonica from La Réunion | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Nephilidae |
| Genus: | Nephilingis |
| Species: | N. borbonica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nephilingis borbonica | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Epeira borbonica | |
Anatomy edit
Female edit
The color of the abdomen ranges from striking bright red to whitish-red, with larger specimens displaying a brighter red. Total length ranges from about 14 to 22mm.[2]
Male edit
Males' total length ranges from about 4 to 6 mm. They have a yellow-brown prosoma, and a gray abdomen with white pigment dots. [2]
Distribution edit
N. borbonica occurs in Réunion, and were observed in cloud forests at up to 1,500 m elevation .[3]
Name edit
The species name borbonica refers to the island Réunion near Madagascar, which was called "Bourbon" until 1848.
References edit
- ^ a b "Taxon details Nephilingis borbonica (Vinson, 1863)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-05-11
- ^ a b c 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 Nephilingis, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae)". Systematic Entomology. 32 (1): 95–135. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.
External links edit
Media related to Nephilingis borbonica at Wikimedia Commons