Neoscona penicillipes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Large Neoscona Orb-Web Spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female | |
 | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Neoscona |
| Species: | N. penicillipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Neoscona penicillipes (Karsch, 1879)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Neoscona penicillipes is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is commonly known as the large Neoscona orb-web spider.[3]
The species name penicillipes means "brush-footed" in Latin.
Distribution
Neoscona penicillipes is widespread throughout West and Central Africa, with the species also occurring in South Africa.[3]
In South Africa, it has been sampled from eight provinces at altitudes ranging from 16 to 1,651 m above sea level. These include Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and Northern Cape.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Large orb-web spiders (11-22 mm) that make orb-webs at night in vegetation. The species has been sampled from the Grassland, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Succulent, and Thicket biomes. The species is also associated with the bark of Vachellia xanthophloea trees in Ndumo Game Reserve.[3]
Description
Neoscona penicillipes is known from both sexes. These are large orb-web spiders measuring 11-22 mm.[3]
