Dolophones conifera

Dolophones spDolophones conifera Dolophones turrigera

Belonging to the group of spiders known as “Wrap-around Spiders”, the species Dolophones conifera is indigenous to Australia. With the amazing ability to wrap their body around tree twigs, branches and limbs, which aids in their camouflage, this species belong with several similarly described species in the genus Dolophones.

The species was described in 1886 by Eugen von Keyserling (1833–1889), a German arachnologist who was known as Count Eugen Wilhelm Theodor von Keyserling (Keselingk).

The upper surface of the spider, the abdomen has a cone shaped shield appearance, that is composed mostly of a series of almost circular discs, each with a small slit in the centre. The lower surface of the spider’s abdomen is curved so that it allows the spider to rest on the curvature of the twig / branch, as if it was wrapped around.

There are pattern and slight colour variation within the species, possibly to blend with the colour of the barks they camouflage themselves against.

This species is usually found hiding during the day, wrapped around tree and shrub branches, until night time, when they emerge to spin vertical orb webs to capture their prey.

First identified in the location of Western Australia, Atlas of Living Australia have mapped them to other locations on the east coast from northern Queensland, through New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

Despite their beautiful and fearsome looks, they are a small spider with the females approximately 9 mm long and males approximately 5 mm long.

The male spider can be identified by the two thickened pedipalps at the front of the head, whilst in a female the epigyne (or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spider) is situated on the underside of the abdomen.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Subphylum: Chelicerata
• Class: Arachnida
• Order: Araneae
• Infraorder: Araneomorphae
• Family: Araneidae
• Genus: Dolophones
• Species: Dolophones conifera

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Dolophones spDolophones conifera Dolophones turrigera

SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia Araneidae — Orb Weavers Arkys Australian Huntsman Spider Barking Spider Black House Spider Carepalxis sp Celaenia sp Crab Spiders Deinopidae — Net-casting Spiders Dolomedes sp Dolophones sp Flower Spiders Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus volans Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider