Mastophora, also known as bolas spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by E. L. Holmberg in 1876. They can be identified by a pair of lumps on the dorsal surface of the opisthosoma, though not all males will have these lumps.
Adult females of the genus snare prey mid-air by using a silk line with an adhesive blob on the end, similar to bolas used by South American gauchos. They feed on flying insects, particularly moths, sometimes releasing pheromones that mimic those of their prey to attract them. Males and juvenile females capture their prey directly with their legs. Mastophora spiders have extreme sexual size dimorphism: adult females reach 0,75 inches (19 mm), while adult males are smaller than 0,067 inches (1,7 mm). These spiders reach maturity after two instars, or fewer. Cephalothorax often with dorsal protuberances, frequently paired. Female abdomen large, wider than long, an occasion has dorsal humps or lobes. Prey specialization by means of aggressive chemical mimicry. The attraction of preys by Mastophora is undoubtedly linked to an extraordinary endocrinoid abdominal tissue discovered histologically and named by A. Lopez, France (external link), a structure unfortunately ignored in english and spanish publications concerning the genus nevertheless America autochthonous.
Species
it contains fifty species: Mastophora abalosi Urtubey & Báez, 1983 – Argentina Mastophora alachua Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora alvareztoroi Ibarra & Jiménez, 2003 – USA, Mexico Mastophora apalachicola Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora archeri Gertsch, 1955 – USA Mastophora bisaccata (Emerton, 1884) – USA, Mexico Mastophora brescoviti Levi, 2003 – Brazil Mastophora caesariata Eberhard & Levi, 2006 – Costa Rica Mastophora carpogaster Mello-Leitão, 1925 – Brazil Mastophora catarina Levi, 2003 – Brazil Mastophora comma Báez & Urtubey, 1985 – Argentina Mastophora conica Levi, 2006 – Argentina Mastophora conifera (Holmberg, 1876) – Argentina Mastophora cornigera (Hentz, 1850) – USA to Nicaragua Mastophora corpulenta (Banks, 1898) – Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil Mastophora corumbatai Levi, 2003 – Brazil Mastophora cranion Mello-Leitão, 1928 – Brazil Mastophora diablo Levi, 2003 – Argentina Mastophora dizzydeani Eberhard, 1981 – Colombia, Peru Mastophora escomeli Levi, 2003 – Peru Mastophora extraordinaria Holmberg, 1876 – Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina Mastophora fasciata Reimoser, 1939 – Costa Rica, Venezuela Mastophora felda Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora felis Piza, 1976 – Brazil Mastophora gasteracanthoides (Nicolet, 1849) – Chile Mastophora haywardi Birabén, 1946 – Argentina Mastophora holmbergi Canals, 1931 – Paraguay, Argentina Mastophora hutchinsoni Gertsch, 1955 – USA, Canada Mastophora lara Levi, 2003 – Venezuela Mastophora leucabulba (Gertsch, 1955) – USA to Honduras Mastophora leucacantha (Simon, 1897) – Brazil Mastophora longiceps Mello-Leitão, 1940 – Brazil Mastophora melloleitaoi Canals, 1931 – Brazil, Argentina Mastophora obtusa Mello-Leitão, 1936 – Brazil Mastophora pesqueiro Levi, 2003 – Brazil Mastophora phrynosoma Gertsch, 1955 – USA Mastophora pickeli Mello-Leitão, 1931 – Brazil Mastophora piras Levi, 2003 – Brazil Mastophora rabida Levi, 2003 – Ecuador (Galapagos Is.) Mastophora reimoseri Levi, 2003 – Paraguay Mastophora satan Canals, 1931 – Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina Mastophora satsuma Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora seminole Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora soberiana Levi, 2003 – Panama Mastophora stowei Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora timuqua Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora vaquera Gertsch, 1955 – Cuba Mastophora yacare Levi, 2003 – Uruguay Mastophora yeargani Levi, 2003 – USA Mastophora ypiranga Levi, 2003 – Brazil
References
External links
Mastophora (in French)