Global InformationLeucorchestris arenicola information
| Leucorchestris arenicola | |
|---|---|
| |
| White lady spider in Namibia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sparassidae |
| Genus: | Leucorchestris |
| Species: | L. arenicola
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucorchestris arenicola Lawrence, 1962
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Leucorchestris arenicola, commonly called the dancing white lady spider, is a huntsman spider in the family Sparassidae and genus Leucorchestris. It is commonly found in the Namib desert of Namibia. It is often mistaken with the similarly named Carparachne aureoflava, or more commonly known as the wheel spider from the same location.[1][2] L. arenicola relies on seismic vibrations, called drumming, for communication. It taps its foremost legs on the sand to send messages to other white lady spiders. Male L. arenicola will travel over 50 m in one night searching for a mate. If they find a mate, they must be extremely careful, for drumming the wrong message can be deadly.[1] One of the major features that characterizes its nocturnal behavior is its specialized vision, using eight eyes in different orientations to capture a panoramic view of the surroundings. L. arenicola spiders use temporal summation in order to be able to see dim lighting during night-time wanderings.[3] The species was first described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1962, who described all the species in the genus Leucorchestris.[2]
- ^ a b Henschel, Joh R. (2002). "Long-Distance Wandering and Mating by the Dancing White Lady Spider (Leucorchestris Arenicola) (Araneae, Sparassidae) Across Namib Dunes". Journal of Arachnology. 30 (2): 321–30. doi:10.1636/0161-8202(2002)030[0321:LDWAMB]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 55850732.
- ^ a b Platnick, Norman I. (June 24, 2014). "Sparassidae". The World Spider Catalog, Version 15. American Museum of Natural History.
- ^ Nørgaard, Thomas; Henschel, Joh R.; Wehner, Rüdiger (2007-02-01). "Use of local cues in the night-time navigation of the wandering desert spider Leucorchestris arenicola (Araneae, Sparassidae)". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 193 (2): 217–222. doi:10.1007/s00359-006-0178-6. ISSN 1432-1351. PMID 17235606. S2CID 1319746.