''Nephilingis livida'' is an araneid spider from

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 ...

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

Etymology

The species name is derived from Latin "lividus", which can mean "malicious" as well as "bluish".

Description

The color of the female's

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 to ...

ranges from creamy to brown, blue or purple, with a dark brown venter. Females reach a length of about 15 to 24mm Males only reach a length of 3 to 5 mm and have a yellow-brown sternum and a grey abdomen with white dots.

Distribution

''N. livida'' occurs in

and surrounding islands, such as the

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 ...

and

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, ...

(including the Aldabra

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

). They are common in human dwellings in Madagascar.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3338275 Araneidae Spiders of Madagascar Spiders described in 1863