Artema atlanta
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| Artema atlanta | |
|---|---|
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| A. atlanta from North America | |
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| A. atlanta from Barrow Island, Western Australia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Pholcidae |
| Genus: | Artema |
| Species: | A. atlanta |
| Binomial name | |
| Artema atlanta Walckenaer, 1837[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Artema atlanta is a species of spider of the family Pholcidae with a pantropical distribution. It is commonly known as the giant daddy-long-legs spider, in Australia[2] and South Africa.[3] With a body length of 8–11 mm, it is the largest pholcid in the world.[4]
Distribution
A. atlanta can be found in all tropical regions, such as the Seychelles, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam[5] and Brazil.[6] It can be found on every continent (apart from Antarctica).[6] It has been introduced into Belgium (Antwerp),[1] and North America, where (as of 2009) colonies can be found in southern Arizona and southeastern California in the United States.[4] Two spiders were found in a shipping container which arrived in England in 2004.[6] It is suggested that the species originates from the Old World, although it was first described from Brazil.[6]
