Theridiidae  Sundevall, 1833 / Theridion  Walckenaer, 1805   63 species

Theridion melanostictum  O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876

Description
Male

Prosoma 1.1 mm long. Colouration as in female. Opisthosoma: ventral side anteriorly bulging.

Body length male: 2.3-2.5 mm
Female

Prosoma yellowish, with a median longitudinal blackish stripe. Prosoma 1.2 mm long. Legs yellowish with dark marks near articulations. Opisthosoma dorsally yellowish with white and black marks, ventrally with a median black blotch, and 2 lateral black spots near spinnerets.

Body length female: 2.2-3.8 mm
Distribution
  Presence
  Not established
  No data
Global distribution (WSC 2024): Macaronesia, Mediterranean to Egypt, India, Central Asia, China, Japan. Introduced to Canada, USA, Galapagos Is., Poland, St. Helena, Society Is.
Phenology
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 male  female
Adults possibly all the year.
Figures
Distribution List

"No references" does not mean that the species does not occur in this country, but that we have not yet inserted the reference for it. We are working on it.

Algeria   (Benhacene et al., 2023) ||| Cyprus   (Bosmans et al., 2019c) ||| Egypt   (El-Hennawy, 2017a) ||| France   (Déjean, 2015a) ||| Greece / Crete   (Bosmans et al., 2013) ||| Libya   (Bosmans, unpubl.) ||| Morocco   (Bosmans, unpubl.) ||| Poland   (Rozwałka et al., 2017b) ||| Portugal   (Branco et al., 2019) ||| Spain   (Branco et al., 2019) ||| Tunisia   (Bosmans, 2003) |||
References

Abdel-Ghani D M A, Hassan F M, Sallam G M E (2023) Spiders as a bio-agent factor in a mango greenhouse at Giza Governorate, Egypt. Serket 20: 26-38 pdf

Benhacene R, Adjami A, Hadjeb A, Kermiche K, Ouakid M L (2023) Bibliographic checklist of the Algerian spider fauna (Araneae). Zootaxa 5352: 301-357 pdf

Bosmans R (2003) A checklist of the spiders of Tunisia, with description of a new species of Palliduphantes Saaristo & Tanasevitch (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Kaupia - Darmstädter Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte 12: 89-109 pdf

Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Hadjiconstantis M, Komnenov M, Bosselaers J, Huber S, McCowan D, Snazell R, Decae A, Zoumides C, Kielhorn K-H, Oger P (2019c) Spiders of Cyprus (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from Cyprus. Newsletter of the Belgian Arachnological Society 34, Suppl. 1: 1-173 pdf

Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Kronestedt T, Alderweireldt M, Bosselaers J, De Koninck H (2013) Spiders of Crete (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from the Greek island of Crete. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 28 (Suppl. 1): 1-147 pdf

Bosmans R. (unpubl.) Provisional list of spiders of North Africa. Database excerpt Aug. 2019

Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254 pdf

Déjean S (2015a) Theridion melanostictum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 (Araneae, Theridiidae) nouveau pour la faune de France. Revue Arachnologique (2) 2: 4-5 pdf

El-Hennawy H K (2017a) A list of Egyptian spiders (revised in 2017). Serket 15: 167-183 pdf

Knoflach B (1998) Mating in Theridion varians Hahn and related species (Araneae: Theridiidae). Journal of Natural History 32: 545-604 pdf

Levy G, Amitai P (1982a) The comb-footed spider genera Theridion, Achaearanea and Anelosimus of Israel (Araneae: Theridiidae). Journal of Zoology, London 196: 81-131 pdf

Ono H (2011) Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of the Ogasawara Islands, Japan. Memoirs of the National Museum of Nature and Science Tokyo 47: 435-470 pdf

Rozwałka R, Dawidowicz Ł, Wawer W (2017b) Three alien spider species (Araneae: Theridiidae) newly found in Poland. Fragmenta Faunistica 60: 61-66 pdf

Sherwood D, Henrard A, Jocqué R, Fowler L, Marusik Y M, Maddison W, Harvey M S, Hormiga G, Rheims C A, Piacentini L N, Peters M, Stevens N, Joshua D, Scipio-O’Dean C J, Ellick G, Wilkins V, Ashmole M, Ashmole P (2024b) Annotated checklist of the spiders of Saint Helena, with new records, descriptions of unknown sexes, new and restored genera, and two new species (Araneae: Araneomorphae). Arachnology 19: 1218-1291 pdf

WSC (2024) World Spider Catalog. Version 25.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (22.01.2024) doi: 10.24436/2 pdf

Zamani A, Nadolny A A, Dolejš P (2022b) New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), part X. Arachnology 19: 551-573 pdf

Updates
07-11-2024 Image insert
23-04-2024 Image insert
23-04-2024 Distribution update Detail
12-07-2022 Image insert
21-11-2017 Image insert
18-11-2017 Distribution update Detail
12-10-2015 Distribution update Detail
05-08-2014 Image insert
15-10-2013 Distribution update Detail