| Kidney garden spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| FemaleAraneus mitificus fromHainan,China | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Araneus |
| Species: | A. mitificus |
| Binomial name | |
| Araneus mitificus (Simon, 1886) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Afraranea mitificaYaginuma & Archer, 1959 | |
Araneus mitificus, commonly known as thekidney garden spider orpale orb weaver is a species oforb-weaver spider found inSouth,East, andSoutheast Asia.
A. mitificus was recently moved, and now belongs to thegenusBijoaraneus, which was established in 2021 by Tanikawa, Yamasaki & Petcharad.[2] It is classified under thesubfamilyAraneinae of the orb-weaver spiderfamilyAraneidae. They are members of thesuperfamily of eight-eyed spidersAraneoidea of thesuborderAraneomorphae.[3]
The species was originally described in 1886 asEpeira mitifica by theFrencharachnologistEugène Simon.[4] It was subsequently transferred to the genusAraneus by Simon in 1909,[5] where it remained until its transfer to the newly established genusBijoaraneus in 2021.[2]
The genus nameBijoaraneus is derived from the Japanese word "bijo" meaning "beautiful lady" combined withAraneus. The genus is distinguished by several morphological characteristics including the median ocular area being wider anteriorly than posteriorly, the male palpal femur having a basal tubercle, and the epigynal scape being short, well-sclerotized, and inflexible.[2]
Araneus mitificus are small spiders and exhibitsexual 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),[6][7] and are generally less colorful than the females.[8]
Theirabdomens are globular and covered with fine hair. They slope abruptly from the mid-region to the posterior. Two small but distincttubercles 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 itscommon name. Immediately below it are two small but prominent black pits (fovea). At the posterior half is a series of faint transverse ridges.[1] The markings on the back of the spider can resemble a human face if viewed from the front.[9]
The ventral side of the abdomen is a uniform green. Theepigynes of the females have unwrinkled, very short and thickscapes.[1][10]
Thecephalothorax is reddish, yellowish, or green in color. It is narrower at the front than at the back and also covered with finepubescence.[7] Thesternum is heart-shaped, narrowing towards the back. It is covered with long, black, spine-like hairs. They have eight eyes arranged in two recurved rows. The front row of eyes are larger and more recurved than the back row. Dark rings encircle the pair of central back eyes and the lateral eyes are close together and mounted on black tubercles.[10]
Thelabium is wider than it is long and yellowish. Themaxillae have almost square shapes and have distinct tufts of hair at the tips (scopulae). Thechelicerae andpedipalps are also yellowish to brownish in color.[7][10]
The legs are moderately strong and long. They are reddish, yellowish, pale green, to brownish in color. The distal ends of the leg segments have transverse bands dark brown in color. They are covered with long black spines and fine hairs.[10] Its leg formula is 1-2-4-3, with the first pair the longest, and the third pair the shortest.[7]
Araneus mitificus are found inSouth,East, andSoutheast Asia; west fromPakistan andIndia, north towardsChina andJapan, and south towards thePhilippines,Papua New Guinea andAustralia.[11][12]
They are common in gardens and low vegetation. They often build their webs among bushes.[1][6]
Araneus mitificus buildsorb webs that are characteristically missing a section.[6] The spider does not rest on the center of the web, but instead builds a silk-lined sanctuary in a leaf at the margins.[1] The leaf is bent at the edges and roofed with a mesh of silk. If a prey animal becomes entangled in the web, the vibrations from its struggle travel to the center of the web, then along a single long strand of silk (the signal line) positioned in the empty section. The strand is linked to the hidden spider. Once the spider feels the signal line vibrate, it will rush out to capture the prey.[13][14]
Males also build orb webs, often near the webs of females. Their webs are usually smaller.[8]
