''Nephilingis dodo'' is an araneid spider endemic to

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

. It was found to be separate from the related species ''

Nephilingis borbonica ''Nephilingis borbonica'' is an araneid spider from Réunion. It was once thought to also inhabit Madagascar and other nearby islands, however these were determined in 2011 to be a different species, '' Nephilingis livida'', while specimens fro ...

'' in 2011.Kuntner & Agnarsson 2011
Biogeography and diversification of hermit spiders on Indian Ocean islands (Nephilidae: Nephilengys)
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 59:477-488.

Anatomy

Female

The

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

is strikingly white. Females reach a length of about 23mm.

Male

Males only reach a length of 5 to 6 mm, with a yellow-brown sternum and a grey abdomen with white dots.

Distribution

''N. dodo'' is endemic to

, where it inhabits the native forests.

Name

Named after the vernacular of the extinct flightless bird from Mauritius, the dodo (''

Raphus cucullatus The dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest genetic relative was the also-extinct Rodrigues solitaire. The tw ...

''). These two species once shared their habitat, the increasingly rare native forests in Mauritius. The specific name, a noun in apposition, is meant to increase awareness of the need for urgent conservation of the Mauritius biota.

References

* Araneidae Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 2011 {{Araneidae-stub