Dewdrop spiders Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Theridiidae |
Subfamily: | Argyrodinae |
Genus: | Argyrodes Simon, 1864[1] |
Type species | |
A. argyrodes (Walckenaer, 1841)
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Species | |
93, see text | |
Synonyms[1] | |
The genus name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "argyros" (άργυρος), meaning "silver", and the suffix "-odes", meaning "like".[4]
Argyrodes, also called dewdrop spiders, is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1864.[4] They occur worldwide, and are best known for their kleptoparasitism. They can spin their own webs, but tend to invade and reside in their hosts' webs.[5] This relationship can be commensal or even mutual if the dewdrop spider feeds on small trapped insects that are not eaten by the host.[6] Some species can even prey upon the host.[5]
NMBE
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