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Nephila komaci
Nephila komaci is a species of golden orb-web spider. It is the largest web-spinning spider known.[2] A few specimens have been found in South Africa and Madagascar. DiscoveryThis species was first identified in a Pretoria museum collection in 2000. The species is named in honor of Andrej Komac, a late friend of one of the arachnologists who reported its discovery in 2009.[2] It was not discovered in the wild until 2007, when it was located in Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa.[3] It was one of the first new Nephila spiders to be discovered in more than a century; most were discovered in the 19th century.[4] DescriptionN. komaci females are the largest Nephila yet discovered. Displaying sexual size dimorphism commonly observed in various species of spiders, the size of a male reaches a leg span of only about 2.5 centimetres, with a body length of about 9 mm,[3] roughly one fifth of that of a female.[2] The tip-to-tip leg span of a female is about 12 cm (body length c. 4 cm),[3] with a web that is equally impressive in size, measuring more than a metre in diameter. ReproductionMales wait for a female to molt, and immediately afterwards inseminate her, breaking off their genitalia within the female, which thereby acts as a plug to prevent other males from mating with her. The now sterile male then spends the rest of his life (life span: about one year)[3] driving away other males. Nevertheless, females with several dismembered male organs within them have been found.[3] DistributionAll known localities lie within two endangered biodiversity hotspots: Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany and Madagascar.[2] Its only definitive current habitat is a sand forest in Tembe Elephant Park, which is in itself endangered. References
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