''Gasteracantha versicolor'', known as the long-winged kite spider, is a species of diurnal
spiny orb-weaver of the family
Araneidae
Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...
. It is found in the tropics and sub-tropics, where it occurs in forests. It has an extensive range, from central, east and southern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
to
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
.
The female is 8 to 10 mm long,
with a large, glossy and brightly coloured abdomen, like others of their genus.
The hardened (sclerotised) abdomen projects over the cephalothorax and has six peripheral spines,
[ with the lateral pair medium to long and slightly recurved in this species. Males are much smaller, less colourful and lack the thorny abdominal projections.][
The web has densely spaced radii and an open hub, and may be placed from near ground level to several meters up. Their venom is not known to be dangerous to man.][
]
Races
* ''G. v. avaratrae'' Emerit, 1974 – Madagascar
* ''G. v. formosa'' Vinson, 1863 – Madagascar
* ''G. v. versicolor'' (Walckenaer, 1841)
References
versicolor
Spiders described in 1841
Spiders of Africa
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