Spider to be identified

Jarir · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject: Spider to be identified

Anybody knows what this spider is?

Photo taken by Habeeb Maani in an urban garden in Amman.

Aram

i asked a zoology prof, who sent it to a colleague and he said it MIGHT be a Tetragnatha extensa. I tried looking it up and saw some pics of spiders doing the same thing with their legs..
i'll keep on looking...
cheers
Aram

Jarir · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:55 pm Post subject:

Thank you Aram.

I initially suspected that it might be from the Tetragnathidae family (long-jawed spiders) because it extends its legs forward. I'm not convinced of this though, because the Tetragnathidae spiders have long jaws, while this spider looks it hasn't. Here are more photos from different angles:

Compare the jaws to these Tetragnatha spiders:
http://kaweahoaks.com/html/tetragnatha_elongata.htm
http://www.nicksspiders.com/nicksspiders/tetragnathaextensa.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markop/421467104/

Another difference is that Tetragnatha spiders usually extend their back legs backwards, while this spider doesn't:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragnatha

The most puzzling feature of this spider is the knob on its abdomen!

ashraf_elhalah · Joined: 09 May 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Jordan,Azraq

Dear book team,
I will share this photo with my guys in RSCN and search if any one can identify it Smile

_________________
Ashraf Elhalah
Jordan,Azraq
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
Azraq wetland reserve, Shoumary wildlife reserve.

Jarir · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:30 pm Post subject:

This spider has been finally identified as a "wrap-around spider" (likely Dolophones sp).

It would have been much easier to identify if it were photographed on a tree, because this spider usually wraps its legs around a twig (which gives it its name), while the abdomen projection looks like a branch stump for camouflage.

Here are more images of a related spider:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/myrmician/3130377375/

ashraf_elhalah · Joined: 09 May 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Jordan,Azraq

its good to be identified, this is great job.

with my best regards Surprised

_________________
Ashraf Elhalah
Jordan,Azraq
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
Azraq wetland reserve, Shoumary wildlife reserve.

Habeeb Maani · Monitor Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 24 Location: Jordan

Very interesting spider!! Thanks Jarir:)