Zoropsis spinimana
| Zoropsis spinimana | |
|---|---|
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| Male Zoropsis spinimana | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zoropsidae |
| Genus: | Zoropsis |
| Species: | Z. spinimana |
| Binomial name | |
| Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820) |
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Zoropsis spinimana is a spider species, belonging to the family Zoropsidae.
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[edit] Distribution
It is distributed widely in the Mediterranean, but reaches into Russia, and was introduced to the United States, primarily in the Bay Area.
[edit] Description
Males of the spider species Zoropsis spinimana reach a length of about 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in), while females are 15–18 millimetres (0.59–0.71 in) long. This spider looks rather like a wolf spider. The front body (prosoma) is brownish with broad darker markings. The abdomen (opisthosoma) has a median black markings. The legs are mainly a speckled brown color.
[edit] Habitat
It can be found on forest edges under rocks and bark, where it hunts for its prey during the night. Like all zoropsid spiders, it does not build a web for this but hunts freely and often seeks refuge in a house. Since this spider cannot survive in harsh climates, houses are the most common place to find them; the temperature is more mild and the food is abundant.
[edit] Reproduction
They are sexually mature in Autumn. The females lay their eggs in Spring, resting in a brood chamber on the cocoon.
[edit] References
- Davidson, Keay (Jan. 26, 2006). "House Spider Migrant Setting Up In Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle.
- Griswold, Charles E. and Ubick, Darrell (2001). "Zoropsidae: A Spider Family Newly Introduced to the USA". The Journal of Arachnology 29:111-113.
- Vetter, Rick (May-June 2002). "Zoropsis spinimana: A Mediterranean spider in the San Francisco Bay Area makes some cry wolf". Outdoor California Magazine Vol. 63, No. 3.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zoropsis spinimana |
- Invasive Species: Zoropsis spinimana (California Academy of Sciences)
- Zoropsis spinimana (U.C. Riverside Photo Gallery)
