Scoloderus Explained

Scoloderus is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1887.^[1] They primarily feed on nocturnal moths using a ladder-type nest, featuring vertical extensions of sticky orbs above and below the circumference of the primary orb. When a moth strikes the web, it slides down the ladder, leaving behind scales on the sticky silk until it is completely ensnared.^[2]

Species

it contains five species:^[3]

• Scoloderus ackerlyi Traw, 1996 – Belize
• Scoloderus cordatus (Taczanowski, 1879) (type) – Mexico to Argentina
• Scoloderus gibber (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898) – Mexico to Argentina
• Scoloderus nigriceps (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895) – USA, Mexico, Bahama Is., Cuba, Jamaica
• Scoloderus tuberculifer (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – USA to Argentina

External links

• Scoloderus at BugGuide

Notes and References

1. Simon. E.. 1887. Observation sur divers arachnides: synonymies et descriptions. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7. 6.
2. Book: Insect defenses: adaptive mechanisms and strategies of prey and predators. Evans. David L.. Schmidt. Justin O.. 1990. SUNY series in animal behavior. SUNY Press. 978-0-88706-896-6. 116. 2010-04-23.
3. Gen. Scoloderus Simon, 1887. World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. 2019-05-15. 2019. Natural History Museum Bern. 10.24436/2. Gloor. Daniel. Nentwig. Wolfgang. Blick. Theo. Kropf. Christian.