Nesticodes

Nesticodes is a genus of spiders in the family Theridiidae. It was first described in 1950 by Archer. As of 2017, it contains only one species,[2] Nesticodes rufipes,[1] the red house spider.

Nesticodes
Female with egg sac
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Nesticodes
Archer, 1950[1]
Species:
N. rufipes
Binomial name
Nesticodes rufipes
(Lucas, 1846)[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Anelosimus nelsoni Bryant, 1945
  • Robertus pilosus Denis, 1956
  • Theridion albonotatum Taczanowski, 1872
  • Theridion bajulans L. Koch, 1875
  • Theridion borbonicum Vinson, 1863
  • Theridion flavo-aurantiacum Simon, 1880
  • Theridion longipes Hasselt, 1882
  • Theridion luteolum Blackwall, 1859
  • Theridion luteipes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869
  • Theridion rufipes Lucas, 1846

Distribution

This species has a pantropical distribution,[1] having been spread around the world by trade.

Description

Nesticodes rufipes is a small red-bodied spider, non-venomous to humans. It can be extremely common inside homes, where they seem to prey on wandering mosquitoes[3] , flies[4] and even ants[5]. The younger development stages of such spiders have been described to be a nuisance to artificial insect cultures.[5]

These spiders may have evolved some defences against being attacked by ants, illustrating those might be included as their natural prey, like many other wild species within Theridiidae[5].

References
  1. "Gen. Nesticodes Archer, 1950", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-04-14
  2. "Theridiidae". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  3. Rossi, Marcelo N.; Godoy, Wesley A.C. (2006). "Prey Choice by Nesticodes rufipes (Araneae, Theridiidae) on Musca domestica (Diptera, Muscidae) and Dermestes ater (Coleoptera, Dermestidae)". The Journal of Arachnology. 34 (1): 186–193. doi:10.1636/S04-7.1. ISSN 0161-8202. JSTOR 4489056.
  4. Godoy, Wesley A. C.; Reigada, Carolina; Rossi, Marcelo N. (2006). "The role of habitat heterogeneity for the functional response of the spider Nesticodes rufipes (Araneae: Theridiidae) to houseflies". Applied Entomology and Zoology. 41 (3): 419–427. doi:10.1303/aez.2006.419. ISSN 0003-6862.
  5. Correa Bueno, Odair; Massuretti de Jesus, Carlos; Solis, Daniel Russ; Brescovit, Antônio Domingos; Fox, Eduardo (2019-02-08). "Immatures of Nesticodes rufipes (Araneae, Theridiidae) Causing Considerable Damage to Ant Colonies in the Laboratory". Figshare. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.7695518.v1.
  • Lucas, 1846 : Histoire naturelle des animaux articules. Exploration scientifique de l'Algerie pendant les annees 1840, 1841, 1842 publiee par ordre du Gouvernement et avec le concours d'une commission academique. Paris, Sciences physiques, Zoologie, vol. 1, p. 89-271.
  • Archer, 1950 : A study of theridiid and mimetid spiders with descriptions of new genera and species. Alabama Museum of Natural History Paper, vol. 30, p. 1-40.


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