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''Heteropoda davidbowie'' is a species of
They are sexually dimorphic and body length ranges from medium to large: the male ; the female . Males have an overall reddish brown dorsum with distinct brightly colored hairs forming patches and lines. The body has short dense hair, prominently interspersed with long bright orange hairs. The posterior half of body has a distinct red line surrounded by red hairs. The pedipalps are black, and the legs lack any distinct pattern. Females are similar to males, but the female's dorsum coloration may vary from greyish to reddish brown. Their legs are annulated with dark spots on bright regions, and there is a prominent triangular patch on the venter between the epigastric furrow and spinnerets.
huntsman spider
Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae), are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometim ...
of the genus ''Heteropoda
''Heteropoda'' is a genus of spiders in the family Sparassidae, the huntsman spiders. They are mainly distributed in tropical Asia and Australia, while at least one species, ''H. venatoria'', has a cosmopolitan distribution,Airamé, S. and P. ...
''. It was described from the Cameron Highlands District in peninsular Malaysia and named in honour of singer David Bowie.
Taxonomy
''Heteropoda davidbowie'' was first described byPeter Jäger Peter Jäger is a German people, German arachnologist, and current Head of Arachnology at the Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany.
He has named several spiders after celebrities; ...
in 2008, based on a specimen collected by G. Ackermann in 2007 in the Cameron Highlands of peninsular Malaysia. The species name honours David Bowie, with particular reference to songs such as " Glass Spider" (from the 1987 album '' Never Let Me Down''), as well as the 1972 album '' The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', and the resemblance of the frontal view of the spider to the singer's painted face in his early career.
Description
They are sexually dimorphic and body length ranges from medium to large: the male ; the female . Males have an overall reddish brown dorsum with distinct brightly colored hairs forming patches and lines. The body has short dense hair, prominently interspersed with long bright orange hairs. The posterior half of body has a distinct red line surrounded by red hairs. The pedipalps are black, and the legs lack any distinct pattern. Females are similar to males, but the female's dorsum coloration may vary from greyish to reddish brown. Their legs are annulated with dark spots on bright regions, and there is a prominent triangular patch on the venter between the epigastric furrow and spinnerets.
Distribution
''Heteropoda davidbowie'' is found in West Malaysia ( Cameron Highlands), Singapore,Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
and possibly southern Thailand.
Natural history and ecology
Adults are often seen on tree bark. Juveniles have been found on leaf litter and leaves on shrubs.See also
* List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)References
Sparassidae David Bowie Spiders described in 2008 Spiders of Asia Invertebrates of Malaysia Arthropods of Singapore {{sparassidae-stub