Neoscona oaxacensis

Neoscona oaxacensis, known as western spotted orbweaver[3] and zig-zag spider,[4] is a species of spider in the family Araneidae. It is distributed in the Americas, from Kansas and California south to Venezuela and Peru, including the Galápagos Islands.[1]

Neoscona oaxacensis
In Laguna Beach, California
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Neoscona
Species:
N. oaxacensis
Binomial name
Neoscona oaxacensis
(Keyserling, 1863)[1]
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Epeira oaxacensis Keyserling, 1863
  • Epeira cooksonii Butler, 1877
  • Epeira adiantoides Taczanowski, 1878
  • Neoscona cooksonii (Butler, 1877)

Description

Neoscona oaxacensis is a relatively large spider, females being about 9–18 mm (0.35–0.7 in) long overall, with a carapace of about 4–8 mm (0.15–0.3 in) long by 3–6 mm (0.1–0.25 in) wide. Males are smaller, being about 6–13 mm (0.25–0.5 in) long overall, with a carapace of about 3–6 mm (0.1–0.25 in) long by 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. Specimens from the Galápagos are among the largest found. The black-and-white pattern on the upper (dorsal) surface of the abdomen is considered to be distinctive. South American specimens have a more slender abdomen than North American ones, with a more distinct light central band, which has a wavy border. Females have an epigyne appearing 2.5 times as long as wide when viewed from the rear. Males have a palp with an S-shaped conductor.[1][2]

Paler form from Santa Fé, Galapagos

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Eugen Keyserling in 1863, as Epeira oaxacensis. The specific name oaxacensis refers to Keyserling's description of its origin as Oaxaca, Mexico.[5] (The Latin ending -ensis is commonly added to a place name to mean "originating from".[6]) The genus Epeira was divided by Eugène Simon in 1864, one of the divisions being Neoscona.[7][8] F.O. Pickard-Cambridge placed Epeira oaxacensis in Neoscona in 1904.[9]

When found in the Galápagos, the species is often called Neoscona cooksoni and is said to be endemic,[10] but this name is now regarded as a synonym of N. oaxacensis.[1][4]

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References
  1. Levi, Herbert W. (1992), "American Neoscona and Corrections to Previous Revisions of Neotropical Orb-Weavers (Araneae: Araneidae)", Psyche, 99 (2–3): 221–239, doi:10.1155/1992/93912
  2. Berman, J.D. & Levi, H.W. (1971), "The orb weaver genus Neoscona in North America (Araneae: Araneidae)", Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, 141: 465–500
  3. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Neoscona oaxacensis", Integrated Taxonomic Information System, retrieved 2015-09-18
  4. "Neoscona oaxacensis", Galapagos Species Checklist, Charles Darwin Foundation, retrieved 2015-09-18
  5. Keyserling, E. (1864), "Beschreibungen neuer und wenig bekannter Arten aus der Familie Orbitelae Latr. oder Epeiridae Sund.", Sitzungsberichte und Abhandlungen der Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft Isis in Dresden (in German), 1863: 63–98, 119–154
  6. Stearn, W.T. (2004), Botanical Latin (4th (p/b) ed.), Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN 978-0-7153-1643-6, pp. 208–209
  7. "Gen. Neoscona Simon, 1864", World Spider Catalog Version 16.5, retrieved 2015-09-18
  8. Simon, E. (1864), Histoire naturelle des araignées (aranéides), Paris, p. 261
  9. Pickard-Cambridge, F.O. (1904), "Arachnida - Araneida and Opiliones", Biologia Centrali-Americana, 2, pp. 465–560
  10. Baert, Léon; Maelfait, Jean-Pierre & Desander, K. (1990), "A preliminary study of the spider communities of Isla Isabela (Galapagos archipelago, Ecuador)" (PDF), in Célérier, Marie-Louise; Heurtault & Christine Rollard, Jacqueline & Rollard, Christine (eds.), Comptes rendus du XIIème Colloque européen d'Arachnologie, Bulletin de la Société européenne d'Arachnologie, pp. 10–16, retrieved 2015-09-18
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