Neoscona hirta
| Large Neoscona Orb-Web Spider | |
|---|---|
| File:Neoscona hirta 306016133 551813083.jpg | |
| Female | |
| File:Neoscona hirta 306016133 551813767.jpg | |
| Female | |
| Scientific classification Error creating thumbnail: | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Neoscona |
| Species: | N. hirta
|
| Binomial name | |
| Neoscona hirta (C. L. Koch, 1844)[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Neoscona hirta is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is commonly known as the large Neoscona orb-web spider and is an endemic species to Africa.[3]
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The species name hirta means "hairy" in Latin.
Distribution
[edit | edit source]Neoscona hirta is known from seven African countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.[3]
In South Africa, the species is recorded from six provinces at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,758 m above sea level. These include Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape.[3]
Habitat and ecology
[edit | edit source]Females make orb-webs at night in vegetation and remove the web early in the morning. The species has been sampled from the Fynbos, Grassland, Savanna, and Thicket biomes. It has also been found in vineyards and is associated with the bark of Vachellia xanthophloea trees in Ndumo Game Reserve.[3]
Description
[edit | edit source]-
adult female
-
juvenile female
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Neoscona hirta is known from both sexes. Females are large spiders measuring 11-17 mm in body length.[3]
Conservation
[edit | edit source]Neoscona hirta is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no known threats to the species. It has been sampled from 10 protected areas.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The species was originally described by C. L. Koch in 1844 as Epeira hirta with the type locality listed only as "Süd Africa". It was revised by Grasshoff in 1986, who synonymized Araneus mensamontis with this species.[4]
References
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