Red Blade-haired Triangular Spider
The four prominent abdominal tubercles of the female distinguish M. thalerorum from most other Meotipa in Singapore. While the female of M. vesiculosa also possesses similar abdominal tubercles, they are black, and not red as in M. thalerorum. In the inset below, the four red tubercles are shown clearly on the abdomen of a female that has been attacked by an ectoparasitic larva, presumably of an ichneumonid wasp. The female of M. thalerorum also differs from those of other Meotipa in Singapore by having a reddish carapace and coxae.
In specimens from Singapore, the posterior part of the abdomen is dorsally produced into a finger-like extension, differing from the Indonesian specimens that have only a short blunt knob.
| Length | ♀ 5–6 mm; ♂ 1–2 mm |
| Type Locality | Gunung Leuser, North Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Distribution | Singapore, Malaysia (Selangor), Indonesia (North Sumatra, North Sumatra, Aceh, East Java). |
| Habitat | Foliage in secondary forest. |
| Biology | As suggested by the left picture, the female is able to catch and feed on salticids, but it is unclear how the prey is captured. |
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Suborder Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
Holotype
Naturalis, National Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Leiden, Netherlands; ♀ (Deeleman-Reinhold, 2009b)
Paratype
Naturalis, National Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Leiden, Netherlands; 3♀ 1 Juvenile♀ (Deeleman-Reinhold, 2009b)
Meotipa thalerorum (Original description ♂♀)
Deeleman-Reinhold, 2009b Spiny theridiids in the Asian tropics: 411, f. 4-12
* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.
Singapore, Malaysia (Selangor), Indonesia (North Sumatra, North Sumatra, Aceh, East Java).