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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Synspermiata » Spitting Spiders (Scytodidae) » Scytodes » Scytodes fusca

Species Scytodes fusca

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Life Cycle · Internet References · Works Cited

Spitting spider in FL - Scytodes fusca - female

Possibly Family Scytodidae - Scytodes fusca

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

No Taxon (Synspermiata)

Family Scytodidae (Spitting Spiders)

Genus Scytodes

Species fusca (Scytodes fusca)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

See the World Spider Catalog.

Size

♀ 5-6mm (BG images)

♂ 4-5mm (BG images)

Identification

This species is commonly associated with human dwellings, where they seem to compete with Theridion rufipes (Theridiidae), but they are also frequent in the field, in hollow tree trunks, under loose bark and in nests of small mammals. (1)

Mature individuals are darker in overall body coloring than most species in the genus, in our area.

♀

♂

Immature individuals are lighter in color. (see the Life Cycle section below)

Range

Pantropical (southern North America to South America) (1)

Part of Europe (see Internet References below)

Life Cycle

Immature spiders of this species, including the immature females are light in color, with partly banded or spotted legs and have a carapace pattern that may somewhat resemble the pattern of the mature males. (1) (check the body size)

Examples:

Internet References

~ This species has also been recorded in Europe. See Here: First record of the exotic spitting spider Scytodes fusca (Araneae, Scytodidae) in Central Europe from Germany and Slovakia

~ BOLDSYSTEMS website page for Scytodes fusca - Specimens verified with DNA testing

Works Cited

1.	Spitting Spiders (Araneae, Scytodidae, Scytodes) from Central America. Valerio, C.E. (1981). 1981. Bull. AMNH 170: 80-89.

Contributed by Jeff Hollenbeck on 24 April, 2006 - 1:53pm
Additional contributions by cheins, Robert H. Biagi
Last updated 9 April, 2017 - 9:02am

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