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Scorpion-tail Spider
Arachnura scorpionoides
Arachnura scorpionoides is a species of Drag Tail Spider, in the Arachnura genus, native to Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Mauritius. A specimen of this species has recently been seen (January 2013) in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. The specimen laid over 65 eggs which later hatched, therefore making Arachnura scorpionoides a native species of Kenya.
From the article Arachnura scorpionoides on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
Arachnura scorpionoides has been recorded from Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Seychelles, Mayotte, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion. In South Africa, it occurs in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and Western Cape.
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
What it does
The species inhabits Fynbos, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna, and Thicket biomes, as well as macadamia orchards. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,411 m above sea level. Arachnura scorpionoides constructs a permanent orb-web with an open hub. The web is suspended at an angle and has a V-shaped section missing from the top. In autumn and winter, females produce a series of woolly brownish egg sacs, which they string together in a line from the centre of the web to fill the missing section. The spider positions itself at the bottom of the egg string. When disturbed, the female curls her tail up over her back like a scorpion. The front legs are stronger than the rest and are kept close to the body when the spider is alive.
Wikipedia: “Habitat and ecology”
In human culture
The species name scorpionoides refers to the scorpion-like appearance of the spider.
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Arachnura scorpionoides in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 651086.