Anelosimus pratchetti facts for kids

Anelosimus pratchetti is a type of tangle-web spider. It lives in New South Wales, Australia. This spider is known for being "subsocial." This means it lives in groups and shares some tasks. You can find it in low places, like mangrove forests near beaches. A scientist named Ingi Agnarsson found and named this spider in 2012. He named it after Terry Pratchett, a famous writer he called "a comic genius."

What Does Anelosimus pratchetti Look Like?

This spider is quite small. It is about 2.4 to 3.6 millimetres (0.094 to 0.142 in) long. That's less than half a centimeter! Female spiders are usually a bit bigger than the males.

Its body colors are similar to other spiders in its group. The front part of its body, called the prosoma, is light yellow. It has grey lines. The back part of its body, the abdomen, is lighter. It has spots that are not quite in the middle.

Scientists can tell this spider apart by looking at special body parts. For male spiders, a part called the embolus is shaped like a corkscrew. Female spiders have a special triangular plate that helps identify them.

Where Do Anelosimus pratchetti Spiders Live?

These spiders have only been found in Australia. The first spider found, called the holotype, was in Berowra Valley Regional Park. This park is about 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level.

Other spiders of this kind have been found in Toolijooa. These spiders were living very close to sea level. Some were only 0 to 5 metres (0 to 16 ft) high. Scientists keep these important spider samples in the National Museum of Natural History.

Spider Family Connections

Scientists have studied the DNA of Anelosimus pratchetti. This helps them understand where it fits in the spider family tree. Both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA confirm it is a unique species.

Interestingly, this Australian spider is more closely related to two spiders from Madagascar. These are Anelosimus sallee and Anelosimus may. This is surprising because Madagascar is very far away. It shows that spiders in this group have traveled long distances over time.

How Social Are Anelosimus pratchetti Spiders?

Spiders in the Anelosimus group are often studied for how they live together. Most of them are either social or subsocial. A social spider lives in a large group and shares many tasks.

Subsocial spiders, like A. pratchetti, are a bit different. They live in smaller groups, often with their mother. They might share a web and help raise their young. But they are not as organized as fully social spiders.

Some spiders in this group live alone. But even within the groups that usually live alone, some spiders have started living in groups again. This shows how complex spider behavior can be. The two spiders from Madagascar, A. may and A. sallee, are both subsocial. Early observations suggest A. pratchetti is subsocial too.