Thelacantha

Thelacantha (Asian spinybacked orbweaver) is a genus of orb-weaver spiders containing the single species, Thelacantha brevispina. It was first described by A. W. M. van Hasselt in 1882,[2] and has been found in Australia, Madagascar, and across southern Asia from India to Philippines, including Japan.[3][1] It has also been introduced into Hawaii.[4] T. brevispina is closely related those in the genus Gasteracantha, and was briefly synonymized with it in 1859,[5] but revalidated in 1974.[6] Saito described three other Thelacantha species in 1933,[7] which were later synonymized with T. brevispina.[1]

Thelacantha
T. brevispina, female from Taiwan
T. brevispina, male from Japan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Thelacantha
Hasselt, 1882[1]
Species:
T. brevispina
Binomial name
Thelacantha brevispina
(Doleschall, 1857)

Description

Females grow to about 6 to 10 millimetres (0.24 to 0.39 in) long, while males reach a size of 3 to 5 millimetres (0.12 to 0.20 in).[3] Females have six abdominal spines ending in distinct sharp points. Most have two large white spots on the upper surface of their abdomens, which are otherwise mottled with black, brown, and white patterns.[4]

Large female T. brevispina from Hilo, Hawai'i ('Akaka Falls region)

Taxonomy

T. brevispina has often been misidentified as Gasteracantha mammosa, which is now G. cancriformis. It has gone through a checkered name history, with many synonyms:[1]

  • Gasteracantha alba Vinson, 1863
  • Gasteracantha borbonica Vinson, 1863
  • Plectana brevispina Doleschall, 1857
  • Gasteracantha brevispina (Doleschall, 1857)
  • Thelacantha brevispina (Doleschall, 1857)
  • Gasteracantha canningensis Stoliczka, 1869
  • Sitticus distinguendus Fontana et al., 1996
  • Attulus distinguendus (Fontana et al., 1996)
  • Plectana flavida Doleschall, 1859
  • Gasteracantha flavida (Doleschall, 1859)
  • Gasteracantha formosana Saitō, 1933
  • Gasteracantha guttata Thorell, 1859
  • Stanneoclavis latronum Simon, 1890
  • Actinacantha maculata Karsch, 1878
  • Gasteracantha mammeata Thorell, 1859
  • Gasteracantha mastoidea L. Koch, 1872
  • Stanneoclavis mastoidea (L. Koch, 1872)
  • Gasteracantha observatrix O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879
  • Plectana roseolimbata Doleschall, 1859
  • Gasteracantha sola Saitō, 1933
  • Gasteracantha sparsa Saitō, 1933
  • Gasteracantha suminata L. Koch, 1871
  • Stanneoclavis suminata (L. Koch, 1871)
  • Diversity of females from Japan

See also

References
  1. "Gen. Thelacantha Hasselt, 1882". World Spider Catalog Version 21.5. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  2. Hasselt, A. W. M. van (1882), "Araneae", in Veth, P. J. (ed.), Midden-Sumatra 4A(11), doi:10.5962/bhl.title.119451
  3. Murphy, Frances & Murphy, John (2000). An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.
  4. Yates III, Julian R. "Spiny-Backed Spiders". Knowledge Master. University of Hawaiʻi. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  5. Thorell, T. (1859). "Nya exotiska Epeirider". Öfversigt Af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar. 16.
  6. Emerit, M. (1974). "Arachnides araignées Araneidae Gasteracanthinae". Faune Madagascar. 38: 57.
  7. Saitō, S. (1933). "Notes on the spiders from Formosa". Transactions of the Sapporo Natural History Society. 13: 56–58.
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