Rhomphaea

L. Koch, 1872

Stretched Thief Spiders

Rhomphaea is a of -footed (Theridiidae) characterized by their distinctive elongated, stick-like bodies and specialized araneophagous predatory . These small spiders (4–5 mm) are found worldwide and are notable for their tactics, using triangular to capture other spiders on their own webs or by invading the webs of other . The genus is closely related to Ariamnes and is the sister group to Neospintharus within the Argyrodinae.

Rhomphaea by no rights reserved, uploaded by Lyn Roueche. Used under a CC0 license.Rhomphaea projiciens 7123017 by Juan Cruzado Cortés. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.Rhomphaea projiciens by Justin Williams. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Rhomphaea: /rɔmˈfaɪə/

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Identification

Distinguished from related by the combination of: extremely elongated (four to six times longer behind than in in females); first and three to four times length; slanting projecting anteriorly with stridulatory ridges; and triangular -throwing predatory . Closely related to Ariamnes but differs in abdominal shape and proportions. Distinguished from Neospintharus by being its sister group with subtle morphological differences in abdominal tapering and region projections.

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Habitat

Forest ; specimens have been collected by beating vegetation up to approximately two meters above ground. Found in diverse forest including tropical and subtropical regions.

Distribution

Worldwide distribution. Documented from Sri Lanka (Kanneliya, Sinharaja, Nilgala forest, Ethagala, Sita Eliya, Kande Ela), Japan (Okayama Prefecture), and North America (Vermont, USA).

Diet

Araneophagy is the main foraging strategy; these specialize in capturing other spiders. They have been observed to occasionally engage in kleptoparasitism. They capture spiders that wander onto their own webs and also venture onto other spiders' webs to capture the residents.

Behavior

Solitary and elusive. Employs to lure victim . Uses a distinctive hunting technique: throwing a sticky triangular over . Free-living rather than permanent web residents; actively hunts on their own webs and invades webs of other spider .

Ecological Role

Araneophagous specializing in ; may influence local spider structure through intraguild predation.

Similar Taxa

  • AriamnesVery close taxonomic relationship; both share elongated body forms and belong to Argyrodinae, but differ in abdominal proportions and region structure
  • NeospintharusSister group to Rhomphaea; both are within Argyrodinae, distinguished by subtle morphological differences in abdominal tapering and geographic distribution patterns

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