Aethriscus olivaceus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aethriscus Bird Dropping Spider | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Aethriscus |
| Species: | A. olivaceus |
| Binomial name | |
| Aethriscus olivaceus | |
Aethriscus olivaceus is a species of spider in the family Araneidae, found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa.[2]
Aethriscus olivaceus was originally found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has since been recorded from South Africa, where it occurs in five provinces Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits forest, grassland, the Indian Ocean coastal belt, savanna, and thicket biomes, as well as avocado orchards. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,752 m above sea level.[3]
Aethriscus olivaceus is a nocturnal orb-web dweller. When not active, individuals rest on vegetation and resemble bird droppings, which serves as camouflage.[3]
