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American Bolas Spiders
Mastophora
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.
50 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Toadlike Bolas Spider
speciesMastophora phrynosoma
Southern Bolas Spider
speciesMastophora cornigera
Cornfield Bolas Spider
speciesMastophora hutchinsoni
Mastophora carpogastra
speciesMastophora carpogastra
Mastophora stowei
speciesMastophora stowei
Yeargan's Bolas Spider
speciesMastophora yeargani
Mastophora bisaccata
speciesMastophora bisaccata
Mastophora leucacantha
speciesMastophora leucacantha
Mastophora gasteracanthoides
speciesMastophora gasteracanthoides
Mastophora timuqua
speciesMastophora timuqua
Mastophora lara
speciesMastophora lara
Mastophora extraordinaria
speciesMastophora extraordinaria
Mastophora corpulenta
speciesMastophora corpulenta
Mastophora satan
speciesMastophora satan
Mastophora catarina
speciesMastophora catarina
Mastophora diablo
speciesMastophora diablo
Mastophora melloleitaoi
speciesMastophora melloleitaoi
Mastophora haywardi
speciesMastophora haywardi
Mastophora alvareztoroi
speciesMastophora alvareztoroi
Mastophora fasciata
speciesMastophora fasciata
Mastophora cranion
speciesMastophora cranion
Mastophora escomeli
speciesMastophora escomeli
Mastophora dizzydeani
speciesMastophora dizzydeani
Mastophora longiceps
speciesMastophora longiceps
Mastophora conifera
speciesMastophora conifera
Mastophora leucabulba
speciesMastophora leucabulba
Mastophora holmbergi
speciesMastophora holmbergi
Mastophora piras
speciesMastophora piras
Mastophora satsuma
speciesMastophora satsuma
Mastophora yacare
speciesMastophora yacare
Mastophora abalosi
speciesMastophora abalosi
Mastophora alachua
speciesMastophora alachua
Mastophora caesariata
speciesMastophora caesariata
Mastophora rabida
speciesMastophora rabida
Mastophora felda
speciesMastophora felda
Mastophora felis
speciesMastophora felis
Mastophora obtusa
speciesMastophora obtusa
Mastophora pesqueiro
speciesMastophora pesqueiro
Mastophora pickeli
speciesMastophora pickeli
Mastophora reimoseri
speciesMastophora reimoseri
Mastophora seminole
speciesMastophora seminole
Mastophora soberiana
speciesMastophora soberiana
Mastophora vaquera
speciesMastophora vaquera
Mastophora ypiranga
speciesMastophora ypiranga
Mastophora apalachicola
speciesMastophora apalachicola
Archer's Bolas Spider
speciesMastophora archeri
Mastophora brescoviti
speciesMastophora brescoviti
Mastophora comma
speciesMastophora comma
Mastophora conica
speciesMastophora conica
Mastophora corumbatai
speciesMastophora corumbatai
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
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Every page naming Mastophora in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 48136.