Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Dean, David Allen, 2016, Catalogue of Texas spiders, ZooKeys 570, pp. 1-703 : 49-50

Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Gasteracantha cancriformis Bonnet 1957: 1945; Brown 1974: 232; Bumroongsook et al. 1992: 18; Jackman 1997: 78, desc., 161 (photo 21m); Levi 1978: 437, mf, desc. (figs 69-84); Liao et al. 1984: 410; McCook 1893: 211; Marx 1890: 539; Petrunkevitch 1911: 343; Roth 1982: 11-2; Roth 1985: B-6-2, B-6-8; Roth 1994: 68; Taber and Fleenor 2003: 237; Taber and Fleenor 2005: 281; Vogel 1970b: 5; Yantis 2005: 197

Distribution.

Eastern 2/3 Texas; Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Cameron, Denton, Galveston, Gonzalez, Grimes, Harris, Hidalgo, Leon, McLennan, Nacogdoches, Sabine, San Patricio, Shelby, Travis, Van Zandt, Walker, Wharton, Wichita, Zapata

Locality.

5-Eagle Ranch, Adriance Pecan Orchard, Lick Creek Park, Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Nash Prairie, Palmetto State Park, Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary, Texas A&M University Rangeland Area

Time of activity.

Male (April, June - July, September - October); female (January - December)

Habitat.

(grass: grassland); (littoral: sedge meadow); (nest/prey: mud dauber nest [imm.] from Chalybion californicum ); (orchard: pecan); (plants: bush, miscellaneous vegetation, vegetation); (soil/woodland: beech-magnolia forest, oak pine forest, post oak savanna, post oak woods [%: 85], re-vegetated site, trees, woods); (web: web near creek)

Method.

5 gallon bucket trap [f]; beating [mf]; beating/sweeping [f]; malaise trap [f]; sweeping [f]; uv light [m]

Type.

Jamaica

Etymology.

Latin, crab-like

Collection.

DMNS, MSU, TAMU

Note.

Color variation of abdomen of female includes white, yellow, orange and red.