Nephilingis borbonica is an nephilid spider from Réunion. It was once thought to also inhabit Madagascar and other nearby islands, however these were determined in 2011 to be a different species, Nephilingis livida, while specimens from Mauritius were placed in the new species Nephilingis dodo.Kuntner & Agnarsson 2011: Biogeography and diversification of hermit spiders on Indian Ocean islands (Nephilidae: Nephilengys) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59:477–488.
Anatomy
Female
The color of the abdomen ranges from striking bright red to whitish-red, with larger specimens displaying a brighter red. Total length ranges from about 14 to 22mm.
Male
Males' total length ranges from about 4 to 6 mm. They have a yellow-brown prosoma, and a gray abdomen with white pigment dots.
Distribution N. borbonica occurs in Réunion, and were observed in cloud forests at up to 1,500 m elevation .
Name
The species name borbonica refers to the island Réunion near Madagascar, which was called "Bourbon" until 1848.
References