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Issue: Vol. 5862 No. 2: 5 Aug. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-08-05
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5862.2.7
Page range: 333-346
Abstract views: 177
PDF downloaded: 30

Description of the male of Kaira candidissima with notes on its natural history (Araneae: Araneidae)

Grupo de Estudios Multidisciplinarios en Artrópodos (GEMA); Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UNLPam); Av. Uruguay 151; Santa Rosa; La Pampa; Argentina.
Grupo de Estudios Multidisciplinarios en Artrópodos (GEMA); Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UNLPam); Av. Uruguay 151; Santa Rosa; La Pampa; Argentina.
Grupo de Estudios Multidisciplinarios en Artrópodos (GEMA); Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UNLPam); Av. Uruguay 151; Santa Rosa; La Pampa; Argentina.; Laboratorio de entomología; Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (IADIZA; CCT-CONICET Mendoza); Mendoza; Argentina.
Grupo de Estudios Multidisciplinarios en Artrópodos (GEMA); Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UNLPam); Av. Uruguay 151; Santa Rosa; La Pampa; Argentina.
Araneae Taxonomy specialist behaviour predator

Abstract

Kaira Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 is a genus of Neotropical spiders that currently includes seventeen species, eight of which are known only from females. These araneids do not make orbicular webs to catch prey but use pheromone-like substances to attract male moths. In this work, the male of K. candidissima (Mello-Leitão, 1941) is described for the first time and individuals of K. gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 are recorded, based on specimens from La Pampa, Argentina. The first scanning electron micrographs of male palps of the genus are provided for both species along with illustrations of the unknown male of K. candidissima. The males of K. candidissima can be differentiated from others of the genus by the shape of opisthosoma which is white and has one anterior hump and two lateral tubercles. Kaira candidissima becomes active at dusk and presumably remains so throughout the night. Active individuals were observed hanging from trapezoidal webs extending 1–2 cm from grass leaves, 35-65 cm above the ground, with legs I and II extended. Concentrations of tangled threads can be seen located in the lines of the trapezoidal webs. A juvenile female was observed capturing and consuming a male Cecidomyiidae (Diptera: Nematocera) and an adult female was observed feeding on a lepidopteran. The distribution of these species extends from north-eastern Argentina to north-east of La Pampa province, in central Argentina, representing the southernmost record for the genus.

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How to Cite

Peralta-Seen, N., Esquivel, C.A., Blas, G.S. & Diez, F. (2026) Description of the male of Kaira candidissima with notes on its natural history (Araneae: Araneidae). Zootaxa, 5862 (2), 333–346. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5862.2.7