Micrathena pichincha
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| Micrathena pichincha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female from Ecuador | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Micrathena |
| Species: | M. pichincha |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrathena pichincha Levi, 1985 | |
Micrathena pichincha is a species of orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. It is endemic to Ecuador.[1]
The female M. pichincha has a distinctively marked abdomen that is black and white with many small light spots on the underside.[2] The abdomen has short, thick spines, with the first pair of spines being longer than the second pair.[2] Females measure 10.7 mm in total length, with a carapace 3.9 mm long and 3.1 mm wide.[2]
The male has a trapezoidal abdomen with three pairs of humps, the second pair being notably large.[2] Males are considerably smaller than females, measuring 6.0 mm in total length with a carapace 2.5 mm long and 1.6 mm wide.[2]
This species can be distinguished from other members of the M. sexspinosa group by its lack of pockets on the anterior slope of the bulge and the absence of a median lobe of the bulge overhanging the posterior.[2] The female can be separated from others by the long grooves or pockets anteriorly on the epigynum, positioned on each side of a relatively small median lobe.[2]