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Palystes is a genus of huntsman spiders, commonly called rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders, [2] occurring in Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific. [1] The most common and widespread species is P. superciliosus , found in South Africa, home to 12 species in the genus.
It occurs mainly on plants, where it hunts insects. It has a body length of 17–22 mm. [2] P. castaneus is the type species for the genus Palystes, and was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1819. [1] Spiders in the genus Palystes are commonly called rain spiders, or lizard-eating spiders. [3]
The size of these spiders, combined with the yellow and black banding on the underside of the legs exposed when the spider is in threat pose, give them a fearsome appearance. [ 1 ] [ 4 ] An experiment was done in 1959 where a Palystes superciliosus was allowed to bite an adult guinea pig on the nose.
They mainly eat insects, but some larger species are able to catch small fish. [10] [11] Female water spiders (Argyroneta aquatica) build underwater "diving bell" webs which they fill with air and use for digesting prey, molting, mating and raising offspring. They live almost entirely within the bells, darting out to catch prey animals that ...
The diving bell spider or water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is the only species of spider known to live almost entirely under water. It is the only member of the genus Argyroneta . [ 6 ] When out of the water, the spider ranges in colour from mid to dark brown, although the hairs on the abdomen give it a dark grey, velvet -like appearance. [ 7 ]
A spider could do this only a few ways, like using its silk to float and land in a sleeping person's mouth. But Maggie Hardy, biochemist at the University of Queensland, said, "You'd have to be ...
Luckily, spiders eat mostly insects -- especially the ones you may also find in your home. But as spiders get bigger, so do their prey, and larger arachnids feast on lizards, birds and small mammals.
The Goliath birdeater is native to the upland rainforest regions of Northern South America: Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, northern Brazil, eastern Colombia, and southern Venezuela. Most noticeable in the Amazon rainforest, the spider is terrestrial, living in deep burrows, and is found commonly in marshy or swampy areas. It is a nocturnal ...