Biology:Phrynarachne ceylonica
| Bird dung spider | |
|---|---|
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Phrynarachne |
| Species: | P. ceylonica
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| Binomial name | |
| Phrynarachne ceylonica (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884)
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| Synonyms | |
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Phrynarachne ceylonica, the bird dung spider, is a species of spiders of the family Thomisidae. It is found in China , Japan , Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and India .[1] The species is known to discharge a foul smell which help it attract prey and deter predators.[2] It both smells like and resembles bird feces, hence the name 'bird dung spider'. The bird dung spider resembles bird feces only when it curls up in response to a predatory threat. It is characteristically known for its dual-purposed ability to mimic the smell and appearance of bird feces to both lure prey and protect against predators.[3] This species of crab spider has a flat, black-brown abdomen with bright yellow legs.[4] The width of the female abdomen is approximately 9.3 mm and the length of the body is approximately 14.5 mm.[4]
Male
Female with eggsac
References
- ↑ "Phrynarachne ceylonica (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884)". World Spider Catalog. http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/species/41386/Phrynarachne_ceylonica. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ Agata, Blaszczak-Boxe (2 September 2015). "Zoologger: A spider that looks and smells like bird droppings". New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28124-zoologger-a-spider-that-looks-and-smells-like-bird-droppings/. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ Yu, Long; Xu, Xin; Zhang, Zengtao; Painting, Christina J; Yang, Xiaodong; Li, Daiqin (2021). "Masquerading predators deceive prey by aggressively mimicking bird droppings in a crab spider". Current Zoology 68 (3): 325–334. doi:10.1093/cz/zoab060. PMID 35592341.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Minakshi Dash; C. Sivaperuman (2021). "Notes on the presences of Phrynarachne ceylonica (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands". World News of Natural Sciences 35: 48–55. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348804852. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
Wikidata ☰ Q2422664 entry
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