Phrynarachne decipiens

About Phrynarachne decipiens:

• It is better known as the bird dung or bird-dropping crab spider.
• Distribution: It was known to be distributed in Malaysia and Indonesia’s Java and Sumatra.
• It has been recorded for the first time in the country from Assam’s Sonapur in the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district and the Chirang Reserve Forest in the Kokrajhar district.
• The spider is usually seen lying motionless 1-2 ft above the ground on the upper side of broad leaves.
• The chalky white colour of the spider and whitish deposition (its web) on the leaves, looking like bird excreta, make it very difficult to be sighted
• Feature: It has the stout spermathecae (a sac-like organ in the female reproductive tract that stores sperm received during copulation) with posterior heads almost touching each other.
  • The genus Phrynarachne presently consists of 35 accepted species of which three – P. ceylonica, P. ceeliana, and P. Tuberosa – before the bird dung crab spider recorded and re-described based on female specimens collected from Assam.

What are arachnids?

• These are members of the arthropod group that includes spiders, daddy longlegs, scorpions, and the mites and ticks.

Q1: What is spermatheca?

It is a sac-like organ in the female reproductive tract of spiders that stores sperm received during copulation.

Source: Spider mimicking bird excreta found in Assam