Phycosoma martinae
| Large-spots Comb-foot Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Phycosoma |
| Species: | P. martinae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Phycosoma martinae (Roberts, 1983)[1]
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Phycosoma martinae is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae.[2] It is found across Africa and Asia and is commonly known as the large-spots comb-foot spider.[3]
Distribution
Phycosoma martinae has a wide distribution across Africa and Asia. It is found in Kenya, Angola, South Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar, India, China, Korea, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), and the Philippines.[2]
Habitat and ecology
The species has been observed feeding on ants.[3]
In South Africa, Phycosoma martinae inhabits multiple biomes including Fynbos, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 6 to 1,556 m.[3]
Description
-
male
-
male
-
male
The species exhibits distinctive spotted markings on the abdomen.[3]
Conservation
Phycosoma martinae is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in more than 10 protected areas throughout South Africa.[3]
Taxonomy
Phycosoma martinae was originally described by Roberts in 1983 as Dipoena martinae from Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles.[1] The species was subsequently transferred to Trigonobothrys by Yoshida in 2002 and later to Phycosoma by Saaristo in 2006.[4] Several species have been synonymized with P. martinae, including Dipoena decamaculata from China, D. ruedai from the Philippines, and D. coreana from Korea.[2]
References
- ^ a b Roberts, M.J. (1983). "Spiders of the families Theridiidae, Tetragnathidae and Araneidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Aldabra atoll". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 77 (3): 217–291. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1983.tb00099.x.
- ^ a b c d "Phycosoma martinae (Roberts, 1983)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 61. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Saaristo, M.I. (2006). "Theridiid or cobweb spiders of the granitic Seychelles islands (Araneae, Theridiidae)". Phelsuma. 14: 49–89.