Nihonhimea mundula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comb-footed platform spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female from Australia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Nihonhimea |
| Species: | N. mundula |
| Binomial name | |
| Nihonhimea mundula (L. Koch, 1872) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Nihonhimea mundula is a species of cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae. It was originally described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1872 as Theridion mundulum.[1] The species is commonly known as the comb-footed platform spider or rolled-leaf comb-footed spider.[2]
N. mundula has undergone several taxonomic revisions since its original description. Koch originally described it as Theridion mundulum in 1872 from Australian specimens.[3] Thorell described Theridion amoenum in 1877, which was later synonymized with T. mundulum by Thorell himself in 1895.[4]
The species was subsequently transferred to Achaearanea by Chrysanthus in 1963, then to Parasteatoda by Saaristo in 2006, and finally to the newly established genus Nihonhimea by Yoshida in 2016.[1]
Distribution
N. mundula has a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific region. It has been recorded from the Seychelles, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia (particularly northern regions including Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland), Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia.[1]
Habitat
The species constructs distinctive platform webs consisting of a horizontal, close-meshed silk sheet suspended above a network of threads. The spider typically creates a retreat at the center of this web, often utilizing curled leaves or loosely silked leaf detritus.[2]
