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.

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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