Tetragnatha ceylonica
| Ceylonica Long-jawed Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Tetragnatha |
| Species: | T. ceylonica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tetragnatha ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869[1]
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Tetragnatha ceylonica is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] It occurs widely across Asia and parts of Africa, and is commonly known as Ceylonica long-jawed spider.[3]
Distribution
Tetragnatha ceylonica is widely distributed across Mozambique, South Africa, Seychelles, India, Thailand, Philippines, New Guinea, and Japan (Ryukyu Islands).[2]
In South Africa, the species has been sampled from four provinces.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The webs of Tetragnatha ceylonica are generally found on trees where the orb web is supported by a twig running parallel to the median portion of the web. The spider always rests with its legs stretched out on the supporting twig.[3]
In South Africa, the species has been sampled from most floral biomes except the Succulent Karoo and Desert biomes, at altitudes ranging from 15 to 1703 m.[3]
Description
-
female
-
female
-
male
Conservation
Tetragnatha ceylonica is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range spanning multiple countries across Asia and Africa. The species is protected in several reserves in South Africa, including Ndumo Game Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Bontebok National Park, and Swartberg Nature Reserve. There are no significant threats to the species.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was reviewed by Okuma and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1988. Both sexes are known and have been described.[3]
References
- ^ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1869). "Catalogue of a collection of Ceylon Araneida lately received from Mr J. Nietner, with descriptions of new species and characters of a new genus". Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology. 10 (46): 373–397. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1869.tb00667.x.
- ^ a b c "Tetragnatha ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 37. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.