Neoscona domiciliorum
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| Neoscona domiciliorum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female at Fort Clinch State Park in Florida | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Neoscona |
| Species: | N. domiciliorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Neoscona domiciliorum (Hentz, 1847) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Neoscona domiciliorum, commonly known as the spotted orbweaver[2] or redfemured spotted orbweaver, is a spider in the family Araneidae. The specific epithet domiciliorum means "of dwellings" in Latin and refers to the fact that this species is often found living on buildings.[2] Their bites are not known to cause serious harm in humans.[3]
Adults can be identified by a bright white or yellow marking on the back of the abdomen. These markings generally have lateral broad, black stripes on either side with a thin transverse white band near the front making a pale cruciform shape.[2] The first segment of each leg is red while the remaining segments are banded in black and pale gray. The underside is dark with four white spots on the abdomen which is red at the tip.[4] As in other species in the genus Neoscona, there is a characteristic longitudinal groove on the carapace which separates them from species in Araneus.[5]
Females are 7 to 16 millimetres (0.28 to 0.63 in) long and are sparsely covered in short gray hairs. Males are about 8 millimetres (0.31 in) long and have a relatively small, linear abdomen.[6]
Habitat and distribution
It is endemic to the United States, southeast of a line joining Texas, Indiana and Massachusetts.[3] It prefers woodland habitats, particularly moist woods dominated by hardwood trees. Though usually nocturnal, females are commonly found in moist woodlands of Florida throughout the autumn season.[3] They can also be found on buildings, especially under the eaves where they may go unnoticed due to nocturnal habits.
