READ before correcting my ID to genus. We are doing a project on the life stages of D. plantarius and D. fimbriatus. I am convinced that the two species can be separated even in the juvenile stages. Therefore we are visiting two locations, one where we know that only D. plantarius is present, and one where we know only D. fimbriatus is present - That is how these are reliably identified. We are documenting the juveniles and their variations. As you might see already, no D. plantarius juveniles have green legs, which seems to be constant in D. fimbriatus.
READ before correcting my ID to genus. We are doing a project on the life stages of D. plantarius and D. fimbriatus. I am convinced that the two species can be separated even in the juvenile stages. Therefore we are visiting two locations, one where we know that only D. plantarius is present, and one where we know only D. fimbriatus is present - That is how these are reliably identified. We are documenting the juveniles and their variations. As you might see already, no D. plantarius juveniles have green legs, which seems to be constant in D. fimbriatus.
READ before correcting my ID to genus. We are doing a project on the life stages of D. plantarius and D. fimbriatus. I am convinced that the two species can be separated even in the juvenile stages. Therefore we are visiting two locations, one where we know that only D. plantarius is present, and one where we know only D. fimbriatus is present - That is how these are reliably identified. We are documenting the juveniles and their variations. As you might see already, no D. plantarius juveniles have green legs, which seems to be constant in D. fimbriatus.
READ before correcting my ID to genus. We are doing a project on the life stages of D. plantarius and D. fimbriatus. I am convinced that the two species can be separated even in the juvenile stages. Therefore we are visiting two locations, one where we know that only D. plantarius is present, and one where we know only D. fimbriatus is present - That is how these are reliably identified. We are documenting the juveniles and their variations. As you might see already, no D. plantarius juveniles have green legs, which seems to be constant in D. fimbriatus.
Former open-cast iron ore mining area with heaps of barren rock and recolonizing vegetation. Very dry and stony. The picture here has been posted before but I took a specimen today and the second photo shows its epigyne.
UM_ACIG_0085
Collected for genitalia and barcoding.
Project GreenRehab - Green rehabilitation system for burned soils based on the inoculation of native cyanobacteria and microalgae (FCT PCIF/RPG/0077/2017)
Purple sunbird breeding recorded on Indian Cooperative Spiders web !
successful breeding recorded
Having failed to ID a 22mm Argiope to species because Argiope levii and Argiope flavipalpis can evidently only be distinguished by the shape of the epigynum, I went in search of that spider. Couldn't find it so I caught this 18.5mm specimen and took some closeups of its nether parts, hoping to arrive at a firm ID. Like the other spider, this one was on a smallish orbweb (about 400mm diameter) low over the ground. These argiopes never seem to place thir webs more than about 1m off the ground. Alwyays in a shaded part of woodland or forest.
Stegodyphus spider with a mite on its head.
Some spiders from this genus are also called social spiders as they build web with a whole colony if spiders staying and hunting together. And some are solitary as well.
Sorry, not sure where in Namibia she was found. Tharina Bird is the original observer.
First reported sefl-sustaining population, not surprising in a cricket rearing setting. Thanks to Monica Jensen and her boyfriend Kurt for delivering them to me.