Neoscona rufipalpis

Green Neoscona Orb-Web Spider
	Female
	Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Neoscona
Species:	N. rufipalpis
Binomial name
	Neoscona rufipalpis; (Lucas, 1858)
Synonyms
	Epeira semiannulata Karsch, 1879 ;

Neoscona rufipalpis is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.^[2] It is commonly known as the green Neoscona orb-web spider and is an endemic species to Africa.^[3]

Etymology

The species name rufipalpis means "red-palped" in Latin, referring to the reddish coloration of the pedipalps.

Distribution

Neoscona rufipalpis has a very wide global distribution throughout the Afrotropical Region, occurring in Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, St Helena, Tanzania, Togo, Yemen, and South Africa.^[3]

In South Africa, the species is known from seven provinces including seven protected areas at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,556 m above sea level.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Their orb-webs have widely-spaced spirals of very sticky, bright yellow silk which is monitored by the spider from within a tightly woven retreat of vegetation (usually leaves), held together with strong pale-yellow, non-sticky silk. Some individuals are active even in mid-winter, repairing their webs if they are removed or broken.^[3]

The spider lives in a funnel retreat made of silk between leaves on vegetation. The orb-web is made in front of the retreat. Silk threads have a golden shine. They are very commonly found in broad-leaved trees. The species has been sampled from most of the floral biomes except the Desert and Succulent Karoo biomes. The species was also sampled from avocado, citrus and macadamia orchards.^[3]

Description

female
juvenile female
juvenile female

Neoscona rufipalpis is known from both sexes. These are large spiders measuring 11-13 mm in body length.^[3]

Conservation

Neoscona rufipalpis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no significant threats to the species. The species has been sampled from seven protected areas.^[3]

Taxonomy

Neoscona rufipalpis was originally described by Lucas in 1858 as Epeira rufipalpis from Gabon. It was revised by Grasshoff in 1986.^[4]

References

^ Lucas, H. (1858). "Aptères. In: Thomson, J. (ed.) Voyage au Gabon". Archives Entomologiques de M. J. Thomson. 2: 377–445. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.11206.
^ "Neoscona rufipalpis (Lucas, 1858)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 3 (Ne-Z). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 13–14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326991. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
^ Grasshoff, M. (1986). "Die Radnetzspinnen-Gattung Neoscona in Afrika (Arachnida: Araneae)". Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen. 250: 1–123.

[lucas1858-1] Lucas, H. (1858). "Aptères. In: Thomson, J. (ed.) Voyage au Gabon". Archives Entomologiques de M. J. Thomson. 2: 377–445. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.11206.

[wsc-2] "Neoscona rufipalpis (Lucas, 1858)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.

[dippenaar2022-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 3 (Ne-Z). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 13–14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326991. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[grasshoff1986-4] Grasshoff, M. (1986). "Die Radnetzspinnen-Gattung Neoscona in Afrika (Arachnida: Araneae)". Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen. 250: 1–123.

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