Biology:Phrynarachne ceylonica

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Short description: Species of spider


Bird dung spider
Phrynarachne.ceylonica.female.-.tanikawa.jpg
Female
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Phrynarachne
Species:
P. ceylonica
Binomial name
Phrynarachne ceylonica
(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884)
Synonyms
  • Ornithoscatoides ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884

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]

References

  1. "Phrynarachne ceylonica (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884)". World Spider Catalog. http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/species/41386/Phrynarachne_ceylonica. Retrieved 23 May 2016. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 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