Nephilidae
Encyclopedia
The Nephilidae are a spider
family with 75 described species in four genera. They were formerly grouped in the families Araneidae and Tetragnathidae. The genus Singafrotypa was moved to Araneidae in 2002.
All nephilid genera partially renew their webs.
and Nephilengys
have both undergone extreme sexually driven selection. The pedipalps of these genera have become highly derived by evolving enlarged, complex palps which break off inside of the females copulatory opening after copulation. The broken palps serve as mating plugs which makes future matings with a mated female more difficult. These genera of spiders also participate in mate guarding, a mated male will stand guard by his female and chase off other males, thereby increasing the mated males paternity share. Mated males are castrated in the process of mate plugging, though this may be an advantage in mate guarding as it has been observed that mated males fight more aggressively and win more frequently than virgin males. So while the female spiders are still polyandrous the males have become monogamous.
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
family with 75 described species in four genera. They were formerly grouped in the families Araneidae and Tetragnathidae. The genus Singafrotypa was moved to Araneidae in 2002.
All nephilid genera partially renew their webs.
Reproductive behavior
The genera HerenniaHerennia
Herennia is a genus of spiders in the Nephilidae family with Australasian distribution. While two species have been known since the 19th century, nine new species were described in 2005. Spiders in this genus are sometimes called coin spiders....
and Nephilengys
Nephilengys
Nephilengys is a genus of tropical spiders of the family Nephilidae , consisting of six currently described species. They are called hermit spiders in South Africa .-Anatomy:...
have both undergone extreme sexually driven selection. The pedipalps of these genera have become highly derived by evolving enlarged, complex palps which break off inside of the females copulatory opening after copulation. The broken palps serve as mating plugs which makes future matings with a mated female more difficult. These genera of spiders also participate in mate guarding, a mated male will stand guard by his female and chase off other males, thereby increasing the mated males paternity share. Mated males are castrated in the process of mate plugging, though this may be an advantage in mate guarding as it has been observed that mated males fight more aggressively and win more frequently than virgin males. So while the female spiders are still polyandrous the males have become monogamous.
Genera
- ClitaetraClitaetraClitaetra is the least known of the four currently recognised nephilid spider genera. It occurs in Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka, hinting to a Gondwanan origin. The split between Clitaetra and other nephilids may be as old as 160 million years....
Simon, 1889 (Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka) - HerenniaHerenniaHerennia is a genus of spiders in the Nephilidae family with Australasian distribution. While two species have been known since the 19th century, nine new species were described in 2005. Spiders in this genus are sometimes called coin spiders....
Thorell, 1877 (South Asia, Australia) - Nephila LeachWilliam Elford LeachWilliam Elford Leach FRS was an English zoologist and marine biologist.Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of a solicitor. At the age of twelve he went to school in Exeter, studying anatomy and chemistry. By this time he was already collecting marine samples from Plymouth Sound and along...
, 1815 (Pantropical) - NephilengysNephilengysNephilengys is a genus of tropical spiders of the family Nephilidae , consisting of six currently described species. They are called hermit spiders in South Africa .-Anatomy:...
L. KochLudwig Carl Christian KochLudwig Carl Christian Koch was a German entomologist and arachnologist.He was born in Regensburg, Germany and died in Nuremberg, Germany. He studied in Nuremberg, initially law, but then turned to medicine and science...
, 1872 (Pantropical)
Further reading
- Kuntner, M. 2006. Phylogenetic systematics of the Gondwanan nephilid spider lineage Clitaetrinae (Araneae, Nephilidae). Zoologica Scripta 35(1):19-62. PDF
- Kuntner, M. & G. Hormiga. 2002. The African spider genus Singafrotypa (Araneae, Araneidae). Journal of Arachnology 30:129-139. PDF
- Kuntner, M. 2002. The placement of Perilla (Araneae, Araneidae) with comments on araneid phylogeny. Journal of Arachnology 30:281-287. PDF
- Agnarsson I. 2003a. Spider webs as habitat patches - The distribution of kleptoparasites (Argyrodes, Theridiidae) among host webs (Nephila, Tetragnathidae). Journal of Arachnology 31(3):344-349. PDF
- Nephila of Southern Africa