''Nephilingis livida'' is an nephilid spider from

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 ...

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

Etymology

The species name is derived from Latin "lividus", which can mean "malicious" as well as "bluish".

Description

The color of the female's

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 ...

ranges from creamy to brown, blue or purple, with a dark brown venter. Females reach a length of about 15 to 24mm Males only reach a length of 3 to 5 mm and have a yellow-brown sternum and a grey abdomen with white dots.

Distribution

''N. livida'' occurs in

and surrounding islands, such as the

Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands are a group of volcanic islands in the Mozambique Channel, an arm of the Indian Ocean lying between Madagascar and the African mainland. Three of the islands form the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation, while Mayotte bel ...

and

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

(including the

Aldabra Aldabra, the world's second-largest coral atoll (the largest is Kiritimati), is located east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands (Seychelles), Outer Islands ...

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

). They are common in human dwellings in Madagascar.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3338275 Nephilidae Spiders of Madagascar Spiders described in 1863