Nephilingis borbonica

Nephilingis borbonica is an araneid spider from Réunion.[1] 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 from Mauritius were placed in the new species Nephilingis dodo.[2]

Nephilingis borbonica
female N. borbonica from La Réunion
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Nephilingis
Species:
N. borbonica
Binomial name
Nephilingis borbonica
(Vinson, 1863)[1]
Synonyms

Epeira borbonica
Nephila instigans
Nephila cruentata borbonica

Anatomy

Female

The color of the abdomen ranges from striking bright red to whitish-red, with larger specimens displaying a brighter red. Total length ranges from about 14 to 22mm.[2]

Male

Males' total length ranges from about 4 to 6 mm. They have a yellow-brown prosoma, and a gray abdomen with white pigment dots. [2]

Distribution

N. borbonica occurs in Réunion, and were observed in cloud forests at up to 1,500 m elevation .[3]

Name

The species name borbonica refers to the island Réunion near Madagascar, which was called "Bourbon" until 1848.

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References
  1. "Taxon details Nephilingis borbonica (Vinson, 1863)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-05-11
  2. Kuntner & Agnarsson 2011: Biogeography and diversification of hermit spiders on Indian Ocean islands (Nephilidae: Nephilengys). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59:477–488.
  3. Matjaž Kuntner (2007). "A monograph of Nephilingis, the pantropical 'hermit spiders' (Araneae, Nephilidae, Nephilinae)". Systematic Entomology. 32 (1): 95–135. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00348.x.
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