''Asianopis subrufa'' (also called the rufous net-casting spider) is a species of net-casting
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 ...
s. It occurs in Australia (
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
) and in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
[ It is a nocturnal hunter, having excellent eyesight, and hunts using a silken net to capture its prey. They feed on a variety of insects – ants, beetles, crickets and other spiders. They can vary in color from fawn to pinkish brown or chocolate brown. Females are about 25 mm in body length, males about 22 mm. They are not dangerous to humans.
This species is often found on a few strands of web in forest, woodland and heathland, or on flat surfaces, for example on the outside of houses.
]
Taxonomy
''Asianopis subrufa'' was first described by Ludwig Koch in 1878.[ The generic name is a combination of the word "Asia", referring to the distribution and the genus '']Deinopis
''Deinopis'', also known as net-casting spiders, gladiator spiders and ogre-faced spiders, is a genus of net-casting spiders that was first described by W. S. MacLeay in 1839. Its distribution is widely tropical and subtropical. They catch thei ...
''.Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "slightly reddish".
Mating
Males will usually shed their last skin and then seek a suitable female to mate with. They will rest on the outer skirts of the female's web, and will gently pluck the web to show her that they are interested. Days after mating, the female then constructs a globular egg sac, approximately 10-12 mm in diameter. It is generally a light brown or fawn color with black specks on it and contains anywhere from 100-200 eggs. It is usually disguised and protected by a leaf. Once the female has constructed the egg sac and laid the eggs, she will usually leave it to its own protection. After around 3 weeks, the young hatch.
Gallery
Image:Deinopis_subrufa.jpg, Males are striped.
References
External links
Pictures of A''. subrufa''
Australian Biological Resources Study
Australian Museum web site, Net-casting Spiders
Deinopidae
Spiders of Australia
{{Araneomorphae-stub
Spiders described in 1878