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Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html" title="Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/116185_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=9mG%2BiH4to%2BKQy1nuGDIAPGTnzPw%3D" width="100" height="152" alt="Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html Macro,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html" title="Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida - side view"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/116186_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=HEJv8n%2Fjc8KqKrHTKrYZf9j3TZA%3D" width="200" height="144" alt="Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida - side view Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html Macro,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html" title="Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida - head"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/116187_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=H4t9XedFe2XK6l3TMSka%2BFU1M20%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida - head Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html Extreme Macro,Extreme Macro Portraits,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida" /></a></figure> Macro,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida Click/tap to enlarge Country intro

Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida

Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.

Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html Macro,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida

Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida - side view Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html Macro,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida

Madagascar Hermit Spider / Nephilengys livida - head Specimen, 2.5cm body, 7cm with legs. Female.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116185/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116186/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_side_view.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/116187/madagascar_hermit_spider_nephilengys_livida_-_head.html Extreme Macro,Extreme Macro Portraits,Madagascar Hermit Spider,Nephilengys livida

    comments (9)

  1. View Christine Young's profile
    Christine Young
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    Did it stink? I usually find that specimens with jiggly abdomens reek. Posted 4 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
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      Not really. I think the abdomen is slightly tilted, giving it this jiggly look. Posted 4 years ago
      1. View Christine Young's profile
        Christine Young
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        Ohhh, I just assumed that a big abdomen = a jiggly abdomen. Posted 4 years ago
        1. View Christine Young's profile
          Christine Young
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          Just curious, have any of your specimens smelled bad? Either like rot or chemicals? Posted 4 years ago
          1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
            Ferdy Christant
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            In fact, yes, very much. This batch came in a large box, containing about 30, and smelled like ass. I figured one or more of them perhaps were rotting but didn't successfully pinpoint it to a single one. I just kept the box in the freezer and take out one or two at once. Seems to me the big and bulky ones are the worst, perhaps for having lots of guts still inside. The other theory I have is that it was the stink bug inside. Posted 4 years ago
            1. View Christine Young's profile
              Christine Young
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              Good idea to keep them in the freezer. Some of my bug boxes really stink - usually anything bulky, like you said. I had a praying mantis that smelled so bad. Dermestids ate it though. Posted 4 years ago
              1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
                Ferdy Christant
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                I found this one to be so nasty:

                Madagascan Giant Water Bug - frontal Look at those raptorial front legs!<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Specimen. Even when dead I was intimidated by it and glad to have this one out of the way. At 8cm, it's a massive insect. Species in this genus are known to be some of the largest True Bugs (hemiptera) in the world. They've earned the nickname "Toe biter" for their extremely painful sting.<br /> <br /> Besides overall size being impressive, another noteworthy feature are their massively thick legs. It seems an extremely strong insect, a fast swimmer but also one able to latch on and hold onto large struggling prey such as snails, frogs, tadpoles and small fish. Its front legs are raptorial, whilst the hind legs are optimized for floating as well as swimming. They can even fan out extra hair to get more grip on the water when chasing prey.<br /> <br /> Once within its grip, the bug will pierce the prey with a needle-like rostrum and inject toxic enzymes.<br /> <br /> They can even fly, which is usually done at night, where they often get disoriented by light. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/110562/madagascan_giant_water_bug_-_body_shot.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/110565/madagascan_giant_water_bug_-_mug_shot.html Extreme Macro,Extreme Macro Portraits,Lethocerus Oculatus,Madagascan Giant Water Bug

                It smelled badly but besides that, for some reason was overall disgusted by it altogether, happy to be done with it.                 Posted 4 years ago, modified 4 years ago
                1. View Christine Young's profile
                  Christine Young
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                  I can believe that one would stink. Perhaps being aquatic makes some smell worse? I have noticed that pond insects stink when I collect them. In my collection, this one smells so bad that I keep it segregated:
                  Violin Beetle - Mormolyce phyllodes This species is so cool! They reach 100 mm in length and are paper thin. They are predacious and secrete the poisonous butyric acid as a defense mechanism..<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, they are horribly difficult to photograph because they are so reflective.<br /> <br /> *This is a pinned specimen. They are native to Southeast Asia Geotagged,Mormolyce,Mormolyce phyllodes,United States,Violin Beetle,Winter,beetle

                   Posted 4 years ago
                  1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
                    Ferdy Christant
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                    I think that would make sense, aquatic and large bodied = smelly. Posted 4 years ago

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The Madagascar Hermit Spider

''Nephilengys livida'' is a nephilid spider from Madagascar and nearby islands. It was found to be separate from the related species ''Nephilengys borbonica'' in 2011.

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Similar species: Spiders
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded Jun 4, 2021. Captured Jun 4, 2021 14:59.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/11.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO160
  • 50mm

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