Ariadna insularis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Namibia Tube-Web Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Segestriidae |
| Genus: | Ariadna |
| Species: | A. insularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ariadna insularis | |
Ariadna insularis is a species of spider in the family Segestriidae.[2] It occurs in Namibia and South Africa and is commonly known as the Namibia tube-web spider.[3]
Ariadna insularis was originally described from Possession Island, Namibia. In South Africa, it is recorded only from the Northern Cape, where it occurs at altitudes ranging from 63 to 250 m above sea level. Locations include Namaqua National Park, Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park, Soebatsfontein, and Sendelingsdrif.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits multiple biomes including Desert, Nama Karoo, and Succulent Karoo biomes. It constructs tube signal-webs made in crevices of walls, rocks, fallen tree trunks, or bark of trees.[3]
Description
Females have a dark mahogany-brown cephalothorax with the head blackish at the side. Legs are reddish-yellow with the two anterior pairs more reddish distally. The abdomen is pale yellowish with the posterior region, a broad mesial dorsal area, and the area between the first pair of lung-opercula purplish-black. The sternum is more or less infuscate, darker than the coxae. Total length is 14 mm.[3]
