genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
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 in the family Araneidae. It was split off from the genus '' Nephilengys'' in 2006. Both genera have been called hermit spiders from the habit of staying in their retreats during the day; alternatively the name "hermit spider" may be reserved for ''Nephilingis'', with ''Nephilengys'' species called "eunuch spiders".
Description
Females of species in the genus ''Nephilingis'' are large spiders, with a body length of . The epigynum is wider than long, without a central septum or anterior rim – distinguishing them from females of ''Nephilengys''. Males are considerably smaller. The conductor of the
palpal bulb
The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often desc ...
is short, wide and spiraled. Species of ''Nephilingis'', like those of ''Nephilengys'', build large asymmetric webs on trees with a hiding retreat in which they hide during the day. The webs make use of branches and similar supports but are mainly aerial, contrasting with those of other nephiline species, whose webs follow the contours of the tree trunk.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Nephilingis'' was erected by
Matjaž Kuntner Matjaž or Matjaz is a given name. It may refer to:
* King Matjaž, legendary king in Slovenia, as well as Croatia and elsewhere
* Matjaž Brumen (born 1982), Slovenian handball player
*Matjaž Ceraj (born 1983), Slovenian judoka
* Matjaž Cvikl (1 ...
in 2013. In 1872, Ludwig Koch created the genus '' Nephilengys''. In 2013, based on phylogenetic studies, Kuntner and co-workers split ''Nephilengys'' into two genera. Four species were moved to the newly erected genus ''Nephilingis'', with two species being left in ''Nephilengys''. ''Nephilingis'' is differentiated from ''Nephilengys'' by the shapes of the female epigynum and the male
palpal bulb
The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often desc ...
.
Koch placed the original genus ''Nephilengys'' in the family Araneidae. In 1894, Eugène Simon erected the subfamily Nephilinae within the Araneidae for ''Nephila'' and related genera, including ''Nephilengys''. This classification was used until the late 20th century, when
cladistic
Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...
studies initially suggested that nephilines belonged in the
Tetragnathidae
Long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866. They have elongated bodies, legs, and chelicerae, and build small orb webs with an open hub with few, wide-se ...
, although this was later refuted. When Kuntner split ''Nephilengys'' in 2006, he raised the nephilines from a subfamily to the family Nephilidae. Molecular phylogenetic studies from 2004 onwards consistently placed nephilids within Araneidae. Accordingly in 2016, Dimitar Dimitrov et al. returned them to their traditional position as a subfamily of Araneidae.
Species
, the
World Spider Catalog
The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...
Nephilingis dodo
''Nephilingis dodo'' is an araneid spider endemic to Mauritius. It was found to be separate from the related species ''Nephilingis borbonica'' in 2011.Kuntner & Agnarsson 2011Biogeography and diversification of hermit spiders on Indian Ocean isl ...
'' (Kuntner & Agnarsson, 2011) –
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 ...
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
,
Comoro Islands
The Comoro Islands or Comoros (Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwes ...
,
Mayotte
Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loca ...
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
Distribution
''Nephilingis'' is primarily a tropical African species, including islands off mainland Africa in the western Indian Ocean. The dispersal of '' Nephilingis cruentata'' to South America is believed to be relatively recent.