Deinopis subrufa

Deinopis subrufa (also called the rufous net-casting spider) is a species of net-casting spiders. It occurs in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania) and in New Zealand.[1] It is a nocturnal hunter, having excellent eyesight, and hunts using a silken net to capture its prey. They feed on a variety of insects – ants, beetles, crickets and other spiders. They can vary in color from fawn to pinkish brown or chocolate brown. Females are about 25 mm in body length, males about 22 mm. They are not dangerous to humans.

Deinopis subrufa
Females are light reddish brown
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Deinopidae
Genus: Deinopis
Species:
D. subrufa
Binomial name
Deinopis subrufa
Excludes New Zealand
Synonyms[1]
  • Deinopis bicornis L. Koch, 1879

This species is often found on a few strands of web in forest, woodland and heathland, or on flat surfaces, for example on the outside of houses.

Taxonomy

Deinopis subrufa was first described by Ludwig Koch in 1879.[1] The generic name is derived from deinos, Greek for "fearful", and opis, Greek for "appearance", hence the common name of "ogre-faced spiders". The species name subrufa is Latin for "slightly reddish".

Mating

Males will usually shed their last skin and then seek a suitable female to mate with. They will rest on the outer skirts of the female's web, and will gently pluck the web to show her that they are interested. Once the male has mated with the female, he dies. The female then constructs a globular egg sac, approximately 10-12 mm in diameter. It is generally a light brown or fawn color with black specks on it and contains anywhere from 100-200 eggs. It is usually disguised and protected by a leaf. Once the female has constructed the egg sac and laid the eggs, she will usually leave it to its own protection. After around 3 weeks, the young hatch; like most spiders, they eat the egg sac for nutrients.

  • Males are striped.

References
  1. "Taxon details Deinopis subrufa L. Koch, 1879", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2019-02-23
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