''Anelosimus dude'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

in the family

Theridiidae Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes ...

. It is native to

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, having only been found in the Udzungwa Scarp Forest ReserveIn the publication of the find, Agnarsson and Zhang (2006), this was described as "Uzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve" and Mazumbai Forest Reserve. It is closely related to '' Anelosimus biglebowski''. The name ''A. dude'' derives from "The Dude", a character in the 1998 film '' The Big Lebowski''.

Biology

''Anelosimus dude'' ranges in size from 1.80mm to 2.10mm for male total length and from 1.85mm to 2.15mm for female total length. Coloration is generally grey, but varies greatly. ''A. dude'' may have a skewed

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

of approximately 2.6 females to 1 male.

Ecology and habitat

''Anelosimus dude'' is found exclusively in mid-elevation

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

, most commonly from 1370m to 1515m.

References

Theridiidae Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 2006 The Big Lebowski {{Theridiidae-stub