Desis marina

Intertidal spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Subphylum:Chelicerata
Class:Arachnida
Order:Araneae
Infraorder:Araneomorphae
Family:Desidae
Genus:Desis
Species: D. marina
Binomial name
Desis marina
Hector, 1878

Desis marina, the intertidal spider, is a spider species found in New Zealand, New Caledonia, and the Chatham Islands.

It was first described by James Hector in 1878.[1]

Description

Desis marina is 8 to 10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, with a brown carapace and a light grey abdomen. Its chelicerae are proportionally large. This species is notable for its complex branched tracheal systems and its adaptations to a marine environment.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in beach tidal zones, between low and high tide levels. It builds silk retreats in seashells, tubeworm burrows, and bull kelp holdfasts. In these environments, the spiders and their silk retreats are sometimes submerged in sea water. Forster and Forster note that this spider's respiratory rate is slower than in similar land spiders[2] This may be an adaptation for spending long periods under water. The spiders emerge and feed during low tide, eating amphipods, marine isopods, and other small invertebrates.

References

  1. ↑ Hector, J. 1878. Note on a marine spider. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, 10:300.
  2. ↑ Forster, R., Forster, L. 1999. Spiders of New Zealand and their World-wide Kin. University of Otago Press, New Zealand.


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