Blacktailed red sheetweaver

The blacktailed red sheetweaver (Florinda coccinea), also known as red grass spider, is a species of dwarf spider. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Florinda. It was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1896,[3] and has only been found in Mexico, the West Indies, and the United States.[1] It is common in the southeastern United States, inhabiting grasslands, lawns, and agricultural fields.[4]

Blacktailed red sheetweaver
Red spider with fly in its web
Web of Florinda coccinea, showing stopping threads above and sheet below.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Linyphiidae
Genus: Florinda
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896[1]
Species:
F. coccinea
Binomial name
Florinda coccinea
(Hentz, 1850)
Synonyms[1]

Description
Eyes of the spider

F. coccinea are bright red in color, with a black caudal tubercle.[5] Adults typically grow to 3 to 4 millimetres (0.12 to 0.16 in) long, with females growing slightly larger than males. They have two rows of eyes; two on the top row and six procurved on the bottom.

Webs spun by F. coccinea consist of a horizontal sheet of non-sticky silk, and a tangle of stopping threads above. The stopping threads intercept flying prey and cause them to fall into the sheet below, where they are attacked by the spider.

References
  1. "Gen. Florinda O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  2. Gertsch, W. J.; Davis, L. I. (1946). "Report on a collection of spiders from Mexico. V.". American Museum Novitates (1313): 5.
  3. Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1896), "Arachnida. Araneida", Biologia Centrali-Americana, Zoology
  4. Birkhofer, K.; Scheu, S.; Wise, D.H. (2007). "Small-scale spatial pattern of web-building spiders (Araneae) in Alfalfa: Relationship to disturbance from cutting, prey availability, and intraguild interactions". Environmental Entomology. 36 (4): 801–810. doi:10.1093/ee/36.4.801. PMID 17716470.
  5. Draney, M.L.; Buckle, D.J. (1995), "Linyphiidae", in Ubick; et al. (eds.), Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual, American Arachnological Society, pp. 1–377

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