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Araneidae Neoscona

Neoscona nautica (L. Koch, 1875)

Brown Sailor Spider

The colour of this previously common Singapore spider can range from pinkish to light brown to black. The paired bracket-shaped markings on the dorsum are characteristic. There are two white spots under the abdomen. Some specimens look superficially like certain colour variants of N. vigilans. but, in both sexes, N. nautica individuals are generally smaller. The distinct structures of their respective genitalia enable the clear separation of these two species.

, side view

Length♀ 7–9 mm; ♂ 4–5 mm.
HabitatAround and inside rural houses, poorly maintained huts, garages, or toilets, under overhead bridges and covered drains.
BiologyThe egg sac is laced with pinkish silk.
Type LocalitySudan.
DistributionCosmopolitan, including Sudan.

Taxonomy

Type Depositories

  1. Holotype

    Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart (SMNS), Germany; type material of Aranea camerunensis Strand, 1906 destroyed 1944 (Renner, 1988b)

  2. Holotype

    Museum of Hebei University (MHBU), Baoding, China; ♀ of Neoscona flavescens (Zhang & Zhang, 2011b)

  3. Paratype(s)

    Museum of Hebei University (MHBU), Baoding, China; 1♂ of Neoscona flavescens (belongs to Neoscona jinghongensis) (Zhang & Zhang, 2011b)

  4. Syntype(s)

    Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB), Germany (database export of type material, March 2019); Epeira nautica L. Koch, 1875, (2538)

Taxonomic references

  1. Epeira tristis (Original description ♀; preoccupied by Blackwall, 1862, see Eustala tristis)

    Taczanowski, 1873 Les aranéides de la Guyane française: 131

  2. Epeira nautica (Original description ♂♀)

    L. Koch, 1875b Aegyptische und abyssinische Arachniden gesammelt von Herrn C. Jickeli: 17, pl. 2, f. 2

  3. Epeira pullata (Original description ♀)

    Thorell, 1877b Studi sui Ragni Malesi e Papuani: 385

  4. Epeira volucripes (Original description ♂♀)

    Keyserling, 1885 Neue Spinnen aus Amerika: 528, pl. 13, f. 27

  5. Epeira volucripes (♂♀)

    Keyserling, 1892 Die Spinnen Amerikas. Epeiridae: 199, pl. 9, f. 147 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.64832

  6. Epeira volucripes (♂♀)

    McCook, 1894 American spiders and their spinningwork: 162, pl. 6, f. 1-2 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.2681

  7. Araneus nauticus

    Pocock, 1900a The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Arachnida: 228 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.48423

  8. Neoscona volucripes (♀)

    F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 Arachnida - Araneida and Opiliones: 473, pl. 44, f. 18

  9. Aranea koratsensis (Original description ♀)

    Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 Japanische Spinnen: 384, pl. 4, f. 25

  10. Aranea camerunensis (Original description ♀)

    Strand, 1906h Tropisch-afrikanische Spinnen des Kgl: 62

  11. Araneus nauticus (♀)

    Simon, 1907d Arachnides recueillis par L: 290, f. 1A

  12. Araneus tristimoniae (replacement name for Epeira tristis Taczanowski)

    Petrunkevitch, 1911 A synonymic index-catalogue of spiders of North, Central and South America with all adjacent islands, Greenland, Bermuda, West Indies, Terra del Fuego, Galapagos, etc: 320

  13. Neoscona vulgaris (♀)

    Comstock, 1912 The spider book. A manual for the study of the spiders and their near relatives, the scorpions, pseudoscorpions, whipscorpions, harvestmen and other members of the class Arachnida, found in America north of Mexico, with analytical keys for their classi: 500, f. 536 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.3163

  14. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Petrunkevitch, 1930a The spiders of Porto Rico: 320, f. 197-199

  15. Araneus nauticus (♀)

    Berland, 1932b Les Arachnides (Scorpions, Araignées, etc: 396, f. 568-569

  16. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Comstock, 1940 The spider book, revised and edited by W. J. Gertsch: 513, f. 536

  17. Neoscona vulgaris (♀)

    Archer, 1940 The Argiopidae or orb-weaving spiders of Alabama: 50, pl. II, f. 4

  18. Araneus marcuzzii (Original description ♀)

    Caporiacco, 1955 Estudios sobre los aracnidos de Venezuela: 355, f. 35a-c

  19. Neoscona nautica (♂♀, Transferred from Araneus, Synonym of Araneus koratsensis)

    Yaginuma, 1955a On the Japanese spiders: genera Mangora, Neoscona, and Zilla: 17, pl. 1, f. 5, 15 doi:10.2476/asjaa.14.15

  20. Araneus nauticus (♀)

    Saito, 1959 The Spider Book Illustrated in Colours: 90, text-f. 7.1-2, f. 104a-d

  21. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Yaginuma, 1960 Spiders of Japan in colour: 56, f. 52.3

  22. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Lee, 1966 [Spiders of Formosa (Taiwan)]: 41, f. 11d-f

  23. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Yaginuma, 1971 Spiders of Japan in colour (enlarged and revised edition): 56, f. 52.3

  24. Neoscona nautica (♂♀, Synonym of Araneus marcuzzii, A. tristimoniae and A. tristis Taczanowski)

    Berman & Levi, 1971 The orb weaver genus Neoscona in North America (Araneae: Araneidae): 498, f. 13, 111-120, 132

  25. Araneus nauticus (♀)

    Chrysanthus, 1971 Further notes on the spiders of New Guinea I (Argyopidae): 29, f. 48-51

  26. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Zhu, 1976 [Spiders of Rice Fields in China]: 32, f. 46, 51 doi:10.13481/j.1671-587x.1976.01.007

  27. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Yin, 1978 [A study on the general orb-weaver spiders and wolf-spiders (Araneae: Araneidae, Lycosidae) from rice fields]: 5, f. 12A-D

  28. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Song, 1980 [Farm Spiders]: 103, f. 49a-d

  29. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Tikader & Bal, 1981 Studies on some orb-weaving spiders of the genera Neoscona Simon and Araneus Clerck of the family Araneidae (=Argiopidae) from India: 12, f. 14-17

  30. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Tikader & Biswas, 1981 Spider fauna of Calcutta and vicinity: Part-I: 27, f. 34-36

  31. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Tikader, 1982a Part 1: 242, f. 466-469

  32. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Hu, 1984 The Chinese spiders collected from the fields and the forests: 122, f. 123.1-2

  33. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Guo, 1985 [Farm spiders from Shaanxi Province]: 69, f. 2-22.1-4

  34. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Zhu & Shi, 1985 [Crop field spiders of Shanxi Province]: 81, f. 69a-d

  35. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Grasshoff, 1986 Die Radnetzspinnen-Gattung Neoscona in Afrika (Arachnida: Araneae): 46, f. 5, 60-63

  36. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Yaginuma, 1986a Spiders of Japan in color (new ed: 105, f. 55.6

  37. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Chikuni, 1989b Pictorial encyclopedia of spiders in Japan: 72, f. 33

  38. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Feng, 1990 Spiders of China in colour: 92, f. 67.1-6

  39. Neoscona polyspinipes (Original description ♀; ♂ f. 255-257, 261 see Neoscona vigilans)

    Yin et al., 1990 New and newly recorded species of the spiders of family Araneidae from China (Arachnida, Araneae): 104, f. 254, 258-260

  40. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Chen & Gao, 1990 The Sichuan farmland spiders in China: 67, f. 83a-b

  41. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Chen & Zhang, 1991 Fauna of Zhejiang: Araneida: 115, f. 109.1-5

  42. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Zhao, 1993 Spiders in the cotton fields in China: 253, f. 116a-c

  43. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Levi, 1993a American Neoscona and corrections to previous revisions of Neotropical orb-weavers (Araneae: Araneidae): 228, f. 10-13 doi:10.1155/1992/93912

  44. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 Riceland spiders of South and Southeast Asia: 629, f. 397a-h

  45. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Zhao, 1995 Araneida: 970, f. 455a-c

  46. Neoscona polyspinipes (♀; ♂ f. 248b, e, i-k see Neoscona vigilans)

    Yin et al., 1997d Fauna Sinica: Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae: 352, f. 248a, c-d, f-h

  47. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Tanikawa, 1998b A revision of the Japanese spiders of the genus Neoscona (Araneae: Araneidae): 145, f. 33, 39-45 doi:10.2476/asjaa.47.133

  48. Neoscona polyspinipes (♀; ♂ f. 179D-E see Neoscona vigilans)

    Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999 The spiders of China: 300, f. 176V-X, 180N

  49. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Hu, 2001 Spiders in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China: 467, f. 307.1-3

  50. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Namkung, 2002 The spiders of Korea: 260, f. 19.22a-b

  51. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Levi, 2002 Keys to the genera of araneid orbweavers (Araneae, Araneidae) of the Americas: 541, f. 108-111 doi:10.1636/0161-8202(2002)030[0527:KTTGOA]2.0.CO;2

  52. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Kim & Kim, 2002 A revisional study of family Araneidae Dahl, 1912 (Arachnida, Araneae) from Korea: 217, f. 59, 142-143, 264-266

  53. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Kim & Cho, 2002 Spider: Natural Enemy & Resources: 269, f. 673-678

  54. Neoscona nautica (♂)

    Yoo & Kim, 2002a Studies on basic pattern and evolution of male palpal organ (Arachnida: Araneae): 28, f. 52

  55. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Namkung, 2003 The Spiders of Korea, 2nd: 261, f. 19.21a-b

  56. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Gajbe, 2007 Araneae: Arachnida: 526, f. 308-311

  57. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Tanikawa, 2007c An identification guide to the Japanese spiders of the families Araneidae, Nephilidae and Tetragnathidae: 69, f. 163, 581-584

  58. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Barrion-Dupo, 2008 Taxonomy of Philippine derby spider (Araneae: Araneidae): 234, f. 1A, 2A

  59. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Tanikawa, 2009 Hersiliidae: 443, f. 161-163

  60. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Zhu & Zhang, 2011 Spider Fauna of Henan: Arachnida: Araneae: 239, f. 171A-E

  61. Neoscona flavescens (Original description ♀; ♂ f. 14-18 see Neoscona jinghongensis)

    Zhang & Zhang, 2011b Three new species of the orb weaving spider genus Neoscona Simon from China (Araneae, Araneidae): 520, f. 10-13

  62. Neoscona polyspinipes (♀; ♂ f. 365b, e, i-k see Neoscona vigilans)

    Yin et al., 2012 Fauna Hunan: Araneae in Hunan, China: 735, f. 365a, c-d, f-h

  63. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Kim & Lee, 2012b Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae: 93, f. 67A-C

  64. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2013c Orb-weaving spiders of Bangladesh: genus Neoscona Simon (Araneae: Araneidae): 174, f. 50-55

  65. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Sen et al., 2015 Spiders (Araneae: Arachnida) of reserve forests of Dooars: Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary: 124, f. 787-792, pl. 23

  66. Neoscona nautica (♂♀)

    Baba & Tanikawa, 2015 The handbook of spiders: 63, 4 f.

  67. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Roy, Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2017 On the araneid fauna (Araneae: Araneidae) of the tea estates of Dooars, West Bengal, India: 24, f. 144-148, 193

  68. Neoscona nautica (♀)

    Basu, Roy & Raychaudhuri, 2017 Neoscona Simon, 1864, the 'true orb weavers' in ricelands of Gangetic Delta, South 24-Parganas, West Bengal, India: 67, f. xxx-xxxv, 30-35

  69. Neoscona polyspinipes (Synonym of Neoscona xiquanensis; rejected by Mi, Wang & Li, 2024: 308, see Lin et al., 2023a Review of 43 spider species from Hainan Island, China (Arachnida, Araneae): 503 doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5351.5.1

  70. Neoscona nautica (S♀ of Neoscona flavescens and N. polyspinipes)

    Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 Description of six new genera and twenty species of the orb-weaver spider family Araneidae (Araneae, Araneoidea) from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China: 306 doi:10.24272/j.issn.2097-3772.2024.023

Distribution of Neoscona nautica (L. Koch, 1875)

Cosmopolitan, including Sudan.

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