Leucorchestris arenicola, commonly called the dancing white lady spider, is a huntsman spider in the family Sparassidae and genus Leucorchestris. It is commonly found in the Namib desert of Namibia. It is often mistaken with the similarly named Carparachne aureoflava, more commonly known as the wheel spider, from the same location. L. arenicola relies on seismic vibrations, called drumming, for communication. It taps its foremost legs on the sand to send messages to other white lady spiders. Male L. arenicola will travel over 50 metres in one night searching for a mate. If they find a mate, they must be extremely careful, for drumming the wrong message can be deadly. The species was first described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1962, who described all the species in the genus Leucorchestris.

Burrows

L. arenicola stay within their burrows throughout the day and then wander beyond their territory radius at night. Burrows are dug into the sand and are lined with silk. Silk may also be used to hold loose sand in place. The burrow wall is stabilized using long spigots on their long spinnerets to interweave the sand as far as 3 millimeters deep. The burrows are usually occupied for a couple of months. Burrows are sometimes covered by a camouflaged covering.

Diet

L. arenicola are considered polyphagous since they can feed on a large variety of foods that remain constant across seasons. This can vary from insects, to arachnids, and reptiles. L. arenicola prey on over 97 species within these categories. The majority of the prey are also nocturnal organisms and consist of beetles, moths, and weevils. However, this depends on the region and territory occupied by the spider, based on the surrounding fauna. The foraging strategy used by L. arenicola is a sit-and-wait strategy, whereby they sit idly within their territory and wait until prey arrive. Some L. arenicola, especially the larger males, engage in cannibalism. This is often due to increased competition and food shortages in their territory.

  • Hallan, Joel 2006: Synopsis of the Described Araneae of the World. Texas A&M University Department of Entomology.