Comments & ID Thoughts
This spider is the size of the palm of my hand. Approximately 3 inches by 3 inches. Please help me identify it. This spider may NOT be native to the area I am visiting (State of Rio De Janeiro).
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Dec 5, 2019
- Photographed: Dec 4, 2019
- Spider: Nephilingis cruentata (African Hermit Spider)
- Location: Barra Do Pirai, Brazil
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes: Ventral
Itsy Bitsy please check my ID when you get a chance:) No, it isn’t native. It is native to Africa. I think it is Nephilingis cruentata, an African Hermit Spider. It is an orbweaver in family Aranidae. I could find that Brazil is aware that it is there, but it doesn’t appear to have been officially declared an invasive-at least at the federal level. Smaller subsections of a place can make their own declarations. There is minimal active monitoring of the species in Brazil. The same has happened with introduced orbweavers in USA. If an introduced species does no clear… Read more »
Filed, agree with the ID. An introduced species. 🙂