Araneus mitificus
| Kidney garden spider | |
|---|---|
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| Female Araneus mitificus from Hainan, China | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Araneus |
| Species: | A. mitificus |
| Binomial name | |
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Araneus mitificus (Simon, 1886) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Afraranea mitifica Yaginuma & Archer, 1959 |
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Afraranea mitifica Yaginuma & Archer, 1959
Aranea mitifica Bösenberg & Strand, 1906
Araneus mitifica Tikader, 1963
Araneus nawazi Dyal, 1935
Araneus nawazi Levi, 1974
Epeira mitifica Simon, 1886
Zilla nawazi Dyal, 1935
Zygiella nawazi Roewer, 1942
Araneus mitificus, commonly known as the kidney garden spider or pale orb weaver, is a species of orb-weaver spider found in South, East, and Southeast Asia.
Araneus mitificus belongs to the genus Araneus. It is classified under the subfamily Araneinae of the orb-weaver spider family Araneidae. They are members of the superfamily of eight-eyed spiders Araneoidea of the suborder Araneomorphae. The species was originally described in 1886 as Epeira mitifica by the French arachnologist Eugène Simon.
Araneus mitificus are small spiders and exhibit sexual dimorphism. The females grow up to 6 to 9 mm (0.24 to 0.35 in). Males are smaller, reaching only 3 to 5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 in), and are generally less colorful than the females.
Their abdomens are globular and covered with fine hair. They slope abruptly from the mid-region to the posterior. Two small but distinct tubercles are present at the rear end. The dorsal surface is covered with white and black patterns that can vary considerably. The front edge usually has a wide black band. In the upper center is a characteristic large kidney-shaped marking (which can sometimes be a faint vertical line or V-shaped), from which it derives its common name. Immediately below it are two small but prominent black pits (fovea). At the posterior half is a series of faint transverse ridges. The markings on the back of the spider can resemble a human face if viewed from the front.
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Wikipedia