Von Martens’ Reef Spider
First described from a specimen collected from one of Singapore’s offshore islets in 1861 by the German mollusc expert Dr Eduard von Martens, this iconic species can be easily recognised by its association with the intertidal zone and the generic characters described above.
| Length | ♀12 mm; ♂ 8 mm |
| Distribution# | Singapore, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia). |
| Habitat | Intertidal coral rubble, sometimes living in silk-lined water-proof retreats within rock crevices, dead seashells, or vacated casings of tube worms. |
| Biology | During low tide, especially at night, the spiders leave their retreats to hunt for amphipods, small crabs, or marine scale worms and seize them with their powerful mouthparts (described earlier). |
# The countries and territories listed under Distribution are sourced principally from published records in taxonomic journals, naturalist guidebooks, checklists, or selected online resources. For practical reasons, not all the countries or territories are listed in the case of records of geographically widespread species.
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Suborder Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
Desis martensii (Original description ♂♀)
L. Koch, 1872a Die Arachniden Australiens, nach der Natur beschrieben und abgebildet [Erster Theil, Lieferung 3-7]: 347, pl. 29, f. 2-2g doi:10.5962/bhl.title.121660
Desis martensii (♂♀)
Workman, 1896 Malaysian spiders: 74, pl. 74a-h doi:10.5962/bhl.title.101972
Desis martensi
Bristowe, 1930a Notes on the biology of spiders: 343, f doi:10.1080/00222933008673221
* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.
Singapore, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia).