''Nephilingis dodo'' is an nephilid spider endemic to

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

. It was found to be separate from the related species ''

Nephilingis borbonica ''Nephilingis borbonica'' is an nephilid spider from Réunion. It was once thought to also inhabit Madagascar and other nearby islands, however these were determined in 2011 to be a different species, '' Nephilingis livida'', while specimens fro ...

'' in 2011.Kuntner & Agnarsson 2011
Biogeography and diversification of hermit spiders on Indian Ocean islands (Nephilidae: Nephilengys)
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 59:477-488.

Anatomy

Female

The

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

is strikingly white. Females reach a length of about 23mm.

Male

Only 5 to 6 mm in length, males have a grey abdomen with white spots and a yellow-brown sternum.

Distribution

''N. dodo'' is endemic to

, where it inhabits the native forests.

Name

Named after the vernacular of the extinct flightless bird from Mauritius, the dodo (''

Raphus cucullatus The dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire. ...

''). These two species once shared their habitat, the increasingly rare native forests in Mauritius. The specific name, a noun in apposition, is meant to increase awareness of the need for urgent conservation of the Mauritius biota.

References

* Nephilidae Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 2011 {{Araneidae-stub