Larinia jeskovi is a species of the family of orb weaver spiders and a part of the genus Larinia. It is distributed throughout the Americas, Africa, Australia, Europe, and Asia and commonly found in wet climes such as marshes, bogs, and rainforests. Larinia jeskovi have yellow bodies with stripes and range from 5.13 to 8.70 millimeters in body length. They build their webs on plants with a small height above small bodies of waters or wetlands. After sunset and before sunrise are the typical times they hunt and build their web. Males usually occupy a female's web instead of making their own. The mating behavior is noteworthy as male spiders often mutilate external female genitalia to reduce sperm competition while female spiders resort to sexual cannibalism to counter such mechanisms. The males also follow an elaborate courtship ritual to attract the female. The bite of Larinia jeskovi is not known to be of harm to humans.
Description
Both male and female Larinia jeskovi are distinguished by a yellow carapace with a dark brown median stripe. The sternum and labium are both yellow as well. Their oval shaped abdomen displays five orange longitudinal stripes on the dorsal surface. The female has a Y-shaped pattern on its sternum, while the male has a X-shaped pattern. Larinia have bristled yellow legs that are often patterned with brown spots. Additionally, some female specimens can have a row of black spots on the abdomen.
Sizes
The spiders do not seem to display sexual dimorphism. Data from a sample of the Larinia jeskovi from the Miyagi prefecture in Japan suggests that there is a slight difference in size between the two sexes, but they are relatively similar. The body length of males can range from 5.13 to 6.00 millimeters while the females’ body length can be between 8.50 and 8.70 millimeters. The carapace width and length of males can range from 1.97 to 2.20 millimeters and 2.83 to 3.30 millimeters respectively. The females’ carapace width and length range from 2.04 to 2.32 millimeters and 3.16 to 3.40 millimeters respectively. The male's abdomen width and length range from 1.50 to 1.63 millimeters and 2.93 to 3.20 millimeters respectively. The female's abdomen width and length range from 2.53 to 2.87 millimeters and 5.20 to 5.93 millimeters respectively. Larinia jeskovi sampled from Poland in the East Palearctic regions displayed similar sizes as well.
Genitalia
Female
The female genitalia consist of a triangular epigynum with a scape containing a pocket necessary for coupling insertion. Lips connect to these pockets at the tip.
Male
The male palpal bulbs have numerous sclerites used when interlocking with the female genitalia. The palpal bulbs hold a lightly sclerotized conductor that lies on the rim of the tegulum. The embolus of the palpal bulb lies on top of the conductor. As the main structure used during sperm transfer, the embolus comes in many different shapes. In some Larinia species, a few examples of forms are curved rods, diagonal rods, or even anchor-shaped rods. Near the embolus lies the median apophysis. There are also the flattened subterminal and terminal apophyses which point typically in the same direction. The direction may differ according to the species. The male palpal bulb and the female scapus tightly interlock leading to a highly sensitive copulatory position.
Population structure, speciation, and phylogeny
Larinia jeskovi is a species within the Larinia genus which is a part of the commonly known family of orb-weaver spiders, Araneidae. They are in the Arthropoda phylum, the Arachnida class, and the Araneae order. There are between 30 and 40 species of Larinia around the world. Most of the species have similar sizes and preferences for climes but may have slight differences in anatomical structures such as genitalia.
Habitat and distribution
Larinia jeskovi that have been found in Poland of the East Palearctic regions reside in open sedge moss marshes (Pecuedano-Caricetum paradoxae) and tall sedge marshes, (Caricetum hudsonii) reaffirming the species' preference for humid climates near areas of water. They also reside throughout the Americas, Africa, Australia, Europe, and Asia in marshes, bogs, rainforests, and other humid climes.