''Phylloneta sisyphia'', the mothercare spider, is a species of comb-footed spider from the genus '' Phylloneta.''

Description

The female is 2.5-5.5 mm in length, males are 2.5-4.5mm. The

prosoma The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...

is reddish yellow with a broad, brown-black margin and median stripe. The

sternum The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...

is reddish yellow, with a dark margin. The

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated ...

are reddish yellow and the legs are also reddish yellow with brown rings. 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 yellowish or reddish, with a dorsal dark brown spot pattern. Males and females are similar in colour and pattern.

Distribution

''Phylloneta sisyphia'' has a wide

Palaearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

distribution, it is widespread in western and central Europe, it is absent from Iceland. It is very similar to '' Phylloneta impressa'' and care needs to be taken in separating the two species.

Habitat

''Phylloneta sisyphia'' is found on shrubs and bushes in sunny areas, up to an altitude of 2300 m. In Britain it is frequently found on heather and

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are na ...

bushes on open ground, but may also inhabit

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

blackthorn ''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is an Old World species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is locally naturalized in parts of the New World. The fruits are used to make sloe gin in Britain and patxaran in Basq ...

nettle Nettle refers to plants with stinging hairs, particularly those of the genus '' Urtica''. It can also refer to plants which resemble ''Urtica'' species in appearance but do not have stinging hairs. Plants called "nettle" include: * ball nettle ...

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

and

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp spikes on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. T ...

Biology

''Phylloneta sisyphia'' builds a retreat in the shape of an inverted cup, which is covered with plant debris. Underneath the retreat the spider spins the tangle wed typical of the Theridiidae. The adults are found in the early to mid-summer, with the majority of males being found in May and June and that of females in June, but they occasionally persist into October. The single, spherical bluish-green egg-sac is produced in summer, between June and August, which is slightly earlier than '' Phylloneta impressa'', and are retained in the retreat. The emergent juveniles are fed orally by the female, giving rise to the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

, mothercare spider. Initially the food is regurgitated by the mother but as the juveniles grow larger the mother shares larger food items with them. The female will die before the juveniles leave the nest and they will eat her body.

Subspecies

*''Phylloneta sisyphia foliifera'' (Thorell, 1875)

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

*''Phylloneta sisyphia torandae'' (Strand, 1917)

Yarkand Yarkant County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also SASM/GNC ro ...

Karakorum Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1757690 Theridiidae Spiders of Europe Palearctic spiders Spiders described in 1757 Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck