Foliage web spider

Description

Phryganoporus candidus, also known as the foliage web spider, is a small, subsocial jumping spider endemic to Australia. On average, they are 6-10 mm long and are a mottled brown color, covered in silvery grey hair. They typically reside in arid and semi-arid locations, building their nests in various trees, bushes, and other plant-life. They have a mutualistic relationship with Acacia ligulata, and therefore prefer to build their nests in these trees. Pregnant P. candidus females build their nests and their offspring live, hunt, and grow there until maturity. These nests are multidimensional and are full of tunnels which act both offensively and defensively. The tunnels keep predators away and help to keep prey trapped inside. Phryganoporus candidus is a small spider, with both males and females typically measuring 6-10 mm long. Their main body coloration is brown, but they have patterning across their bodies in lighter shades of brown. Additionally, P. candidus are covered in a fine silvery grey hair and the density of the hair varies from spider to spider. Females can be identified by their rounded spermathecal lobes. Males, unlike other closely related spiders, have palps without any easily apparent patellar offshoots. P. candidus is a part of the Phryganoporus genus' candida subgroup which consists of three spiders. The name of the group is derived from the Latin word candidus, which translates to “shining white”. The spiders were given this name due to the silvery coloration their legs have due to the hairs that cover their body. P. candidus was not uniformly named for a long time after its discovery, and therefore is known by many names in literature: Badumna candida, A. gausapatus, and P. g. occidentalis. P. candidus are widespread throughout the Australian mainland, typically residing in arid and semi-arid locations. They prefer to build their nests in open forest, open scrub, or open woodlands. As P. candidus has a mutualistic relationship with Acacia ligulata, they tend to build their nests on those trees, but are not exclusive to them. P. candidus consume a large variety of arthropods, including Elateridae (beetles), blattidae (cockroaches), and coccinellidae (lady bugs). They are fairly general feeders, however, and will typically eat whatever manages to get caught in their webbing, even other types of spiders that are trying to consume their eggs.