Half Girdle Crab Spider
The male is easily recognised by the presence of tiny thorns on the carapace and a conspicuous darkly coloured transverse bar across the rear of the abdomen, hence the species name "semicincta", literally meaning "half girdle".
The female, of greenish ground colour, has femora I and II that are more robust, and a pentagonal abdomen with a crimson and cream marking on the dorsum. The crimson may be intense in some specimens. The ocular area is narrow, with the anterior and posterior eyes arranged in two curved and closely parallel rows. Their legs I & II have dark, strong, and slightly hooked ventral tibial and metatarsal spines.
This spider was first described as "Misumena" semi-cincta" in 1896 by Irish businessman Thomas Workman who collected a male from Singapore. It was subsequently transferred to Philodamia semicincta. Its palp structure suggests that it is neither Misumena nor Philodamia, but we cannot fit it in any of the genera known in Southeast Asia. We are leaving it in Philodamia at this stage, as it is listed as such in the World Spider Catalogue.
| Length | ♀ 6 mm; ♂ 2 mm |
| Type Locality | Singapore |
| Distribution | Singapore. |
| Habitat | The foliage of rapidly growing vegetation especially those with multi-pinnate leaves, along roadside, neighbourhood parks or open scrubland. |
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Misumena semi-cincta (Original description ♂)
Workman, 1896 Malaysian spiders: 94, pl. 94 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.101972
Philodamia semicincta (T♂ from Misumena)
Lehtinen, 2004 Taxonomic notes on the Misumenini (Araneae: Thomisidae: Thomisinae), primarily from the Palaearctic and Oriental regions: 181
* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.
Singapore.