Thomisus kitamurai
| Thomisus kitamurai | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Thomisus |
| Species: | T. kitamurai
|
| Binomial name | |
| Thomisus kitamurai Nakatsudi, 1943
| |
Thomisus kitamurai is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae. It is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.[1]
Etymology
The species is named in honor of Kitamura, though the specific individual being honored is not specified in the original description.[2]
Distribution
Thomisus kitamurai is known only from the Ryukyu Islands, specifically from Okinawa Island and Amami Ōshima.[1][2]
Description
Females of Thomisus kitamurai have a body length of 10.3–12.0 mm, while males are smaller at 2.5–3.1 mm. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males being significantly smaller than females, a characteristic common among crab spiders.[3]
The male's opisthosoma (abdomen) has a distinctive appearance with specific markings on the posterior dorsal region that are somewhat less prominent than in related species.[3]
The species was originally described from male specimens, with females being described later in 1988 when Ono provided a more comprehensive redescription of both sexes.[4]
Habitat
Thomisus kitamurai inhabits the subtropical environments of the Ryukyu Islands, where it likely occupies similar ecological niches to other crab spiders, typically ambushing prey on flowers and vegetation.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Thomisus kitamurai Nakatsudi, 1943". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b Nakatsudi, K. (1943). "Some Arachnida from Is. Okinawa and Is. Amami-Ōsime". Journal of Agricultural Science Tokyo Nogyo Daigaku. 2: 181–194.
- ^ a b c Ono, H. (2009). The spiders of Japan with keys to the families and genera and illustrations of the species. Kanagawa: Tokai University Press. p. 739.
- ^ Ono, H. (1988). A revisional study of the spider family Thomisidae (Arachnida, Araneae) of Japan. Tokyo: National Science Museum. p. 252.