Uroballus carlei


Uroballus carlei is a species of spider of the genus Uroballus. It has only been found in Hong Kong.
Like U. koponeni, this species seems to mimic small caterpillars, likely those of lichen moths. The authors of the description hypothesize that U. carlei might normally live in tree canopies.

Distribution

U. carlei has been described from one male, which was collected in 2018 from a railing at the edge of Shek O Country Park, Hong Kong.

Name

The species is named after American illustrator Eric Carle of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fame, at the occasion of his 90th birthday, the 50th anniversary of his most famous book, and to honor his contribution to early childhood nature education.

Description

Like other species of this genus, U. carlei has unusually long spinnerets, and a flat and broadened carapace. The body of the male is about 3 mm long. The abdomen is unusually long, with a longitudinal serrate brown stripe, and densely covered with long erected hairs.
The female is only known from pictures in the book A Guide to the Spiders of Hong Kong by Dickson Wong.

Behavior

The male moves rather slowly, with long rest phases. It rarely jumps, and might escape by falling down on a thread of several centimeters, then climbing back up. When encountering a mirror, it displays to its male mirror image.