| Gea spinipes | |
|---|---|
| |
| female from India | |
| |
| male from Thailand | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Gea |
| Species: | G. spinipes
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gea spinipes C. L. Koch, 1843
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Gea spinipes is a species of orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. It is widely distributed across Asia, from Pakistan to Indonesia. The species is the type species of the genus Gea.[1]
Etymology
The specific name spinipes is derived from Latin, meaning "spiny-footed", referring to the spiny setae on the legs characteristic of this species.[2]
Distribution
G. spinipes has a broad distribution across tropical and subtropical Asia.[1] It has been recorded from Pakistan, India, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia (including Sumatra and Borneo).[1][3] In China, the species is found in the southern provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, and Yunnan.[3]
Description
Female
The female was originally described by Koch in 1843 from specimens collected in the East Indies. The prosoma is dark ocher-yellow with lighter ocher-yellow legs that have black spiny setae. The opisthosoma is slender and brownish in color. The body length measures approximately 2.25 inches (about 6 cm) according to Koch's original description.[2]
Modern descriptions of females show a total length of 3.65–6.90 mm. The carapace is yellow with inconspicuous dark patches and measures about 2.05 mm long and 1.60 mm wide. The abdomen is shield-shaped and darker than the carapace, typically with two white spots at the front. The epigyne is distinctive, being about 1.3 times wider than long with a clear central dividing structure separating two depressions.[3]
Male
The male of G. spinipes was first described by van Hasselt in 1882 under the name Pronous chelifer.[4] Males are smaller than females, with a total length of 3.25–4.00 mm. The carapace is yellow and measures about 1.95 mm long and 1.70 mm wide. The abdomen is shield-shaped, approximately 1.54 times longer than wide, and dark with two white spots at the front. The legs are yellow to yellowish-brown, with the third and fourth pairs showing dark bands.[3]
The male pedipalp has several distinctive features including a finger-like structure and a prominent, twisted embolus that makes approximately one complete turn.[3]
Taxonomy
Gea spinipes has a complex taxonomic history with several synonyms.[5] The species was first described by C. L. Koch in 1843, but over the following decades, several other species were described that were later found to be the same species.[5] In 1983, Herbert Levi conducted a comprehensive revision and synonymized Argiope chelifera Thorell, 1890, Gea decorata Thorell, 1890, Gea festiva Thorell, 1895, and Gea festiva nigrifrons Simon, 1901 with G. spinipes.[5]
Recent studies suggest that G. spinipes as currently understood may represent a species complex, as specimens from different geographical locations show variations in genital structures.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "Gea spinipes C. L. Koch, 1843". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ^ a b Koch, C. L. (1843). Die Arachniden. Vol. 10. Nürnberg: C. H. Zeh'sche Buchhandlung. pp. 37–142. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.43744.
- ^ a b c d e f Mi, X. Q.; Liu, F.; Wang, C.; Gan, J. H.; Wu, Y. B. (2024). "Revision of the orb-weaver spider genus Gea C.L. Koch, 1843 (Araneae, Araneidae) from China". ZooKeys. 1191: 75–88. Bibcode:2024ZooK.1191...75M. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1191.117592. PMC 10873805. PMID 38370531.
- ^ Hasselt, A. W. M. van (1882). "Araneae". In Veth, P. J. (ed.). Midden-Sumatra 4A(11). Reizen en onderzoekingen der Sumatra-expeditie. Leiden: Brill. pp. 1–56. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.119451.
- ^ a b c Levi, H. W. (1983). "The orb-weaver genera Argiope, Gea, and Neogea from the western Pacific region (Araneae: Araneidae, Argiopinae)". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 150 (5): 247–338.
