Bird dung spider | |
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Female | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Thomisidae |
Genus: | Phrynarachne |
Species: | P. ceylonica
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Binomial name | |
Phrynarachne ceylonica (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1884)
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Synonyms | |
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Phrynarachne ceylonica, the bird dung spider, is a species of spiders of the family Thomisidae. It is found in China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and India.[1] The species is known to discharge a foul smell which help it attract prey and deter predators.[2] It both smells like and resembles bird feces, hence the name 'bird dung spider'. The bird dung spider resembles bird feces only when it curls up in response to a predatory threat. It is characteristically known for its dual-purposed ability to mimic the smell and appearance of bird feces to both lure prey and protect against predators.[3] This species of crab spider has a flat, black-brown abdomen with bright yellow legs.[4] The width of the female abdomen is approximately 9.3 mm and the length of the body is approximately 14.5 mm.[4]