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Female
|
The
red abdomen is speckled with silvery and black spots.
With the exception of Argyrodes
flagellum, spiders of the genus Argyrodes in Singapore
live in the webs of larger spiders. |
Classification:
Family Theridiidae, Comb-Footed Spiders.
Habitat: Webs of larger spiders
including Nephila maculata.
Female: 5 mm.
Male: 3.5 mm.
Distribution: Singapore, Indonesia,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka. |
They are "food
stealers", helping themselves to insects trapped in the web of the
host, or prey stored by the host in the web, or a freshly killed victim
that is being consumed by the host.Most of these "commensals"
have long and thin legs and silvery spots on the bodies.The males have grotesque-looking
bumps on their head. Presumably because they are too small, the hosts appear
to tolerate their presence. After mating, the male often seals the female's
epigyne with a resinous plug preventing the female from further mating.
Most
members of the family Theridiidae have a "comb" of serrated bristles
on the last segment (tarsus) of the fourth leg. The comb helps to draw sticky
threads of silk from the spinnerets to wrap any prey caught in the web.
When the victim is securely enveloped in silk, the spider will then approach
it and bite through the silky bundle, extinguishing any further signs of
struggle. The snare is an irregular three-dimensional structure. |