Ariamnes colubrinus
Whip spider at Chatswood West, Australia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Ariamnes
Species:
A. colubrinus
Binomial name
Ariamnes colubrinus
(Keyserling, 1890)
Synonyms

Argyrodes colubrinus

Ariamnes colubrinus, known as the whip spider,[1] is a common Australian spider belonging to the family Theridiidae.[2] It is found in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Description

They are long and thin, often resembling a twig. The body length of males is 13 millimetres (0.51 in) and females is 22 mm (0.87 in). Body colour varies from cream, brown or greenish. They are often being found around a metre above the ground, resembling a twig caught in a spider's web.

Their egg sacs are 4 by 3 mm (0.16 by 0.12 in) in size, with a small lip on the base. The egg sac is suspended from a single strong thread. 40 to 50 yellow green eggs per sac, eggs 0.7 mm in diameter.[3]

Hunting

They are often found resting on one or two threads of silk, waiting with a few strands of silk acting as a snare. Once their prey hits the silk, the whip spider descends. The spider then wraps their meal in silk. It mostly eats wandering spiders, most being juveniles, as well as some insects.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Whip Spider". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  2. ↑ "Theridiidae". World Spider Catalogue.
  3. ↑ Australian Spiders in Colour - Ramon Mascord 1970 SBN 589 07065 7, page 62.
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