Blacktailed red sheetweaver

Blacktailed red sheetweaver
Red spider dangling from a web
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Subphylum:Chelicerata
Class:Arachnida
Order:Araneae
Infraorder:Araneomorphae
Family:Linyphiidae
Genus:Florinda
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896[1]
Species: F. coccinea
Binomial name
Florinda coccinea
(Hentz, 1850)[1]
Web of Florinda coccinea, showing stopping threads above and sheet below.

The black-tailed red sheetweaver, scientific name Florinda coccinea, is a species of web-building spider belonging to the family Linyphiidae. It is the only species in the genus Florinda.[1] It is sometimes known as the red grass spider. Found in the United States, Mexico and the West Indies,[1] this species is common in the southeastern United States], inhabiting grasslands, lawns, and agricultural fields.[2]

Eyes of the spider

Description

F. coccinea individuals are bright red in color, with a black caudal tubercle.[3] Typical body length is 3–4 mm for adults, with females being slightly larger than males.

Webs spun by F. coccinea consist of a horizontal sheet of non-sticky silk, with a tangle of stopping threads above. The stopping threads intercept flying prey and cause them to fall into the sheet below, where they are attacked by the spider.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Gen. Florinda O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2015-10-06
  2. ↑ Birkhofer K, Scheu S & Wise DH (2007) Small-scale spatial pattern of web-building spiders (Araneae) in Alfalfa: Relationship to disturbance from cutting, prey availability, and intraguild interactions. Environmental Entomology 36(4):801-810.
  3. ↑ Draney M.L. & D.J. Buckle (1995): Linyphiidae. In Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual (Ubick et al., eds.) American Arachnological Society (377 pp).
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