Pitcher Plant Horned Crab Spider
Like "Misumenops" nepenthicola. this is another spider remarkable for its close association with the Nepenthes pitcher plants. The female is superficially similar to T. callidus. but they differ in the details of their copulatory organs and their facial patterns. The males are small and brownish, superficially resembling those of other Thomisus in Singapore.
| Length | ♀ 6–9 mm; ♂ 3 mm |
| Type Locality | Sorsor Ladang, North Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Distribution | Singapore, Indonesia (North Sumatra). |
| Habitat | In Singapore, it is found in the pitchers of Nepenthes gracilis that thrive in heavily eroded or waterlogged wasteland with nutrient-poor soil. |
| Biology | Individuals hide under the peristome (rim) of the pitcher, or just outside the rim, to capture insects attracted by the sugary solution secreted by the pitchers. Like M. nepenthicola, the mother attaches its egg sacs on the inner wall of the pitchers. However, unlike the former, it has not been observed diving immediately into the pitcher plant fluid when threatened. |
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Suborder Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
Thomisus nepenthiphilus (Original description ♂♀)
Fage, 1930 Au sujet de deux araignées nouvelles trouvees dans les urnes de Nepenthes: 27, f. 3-5
* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.
Singapore, Indonesia (North Sumatra).