About Parasteatoda lunata (Clerck, 1757)
Parasteatoda lunata is a species of cobweb spider belonging to the family Theridiidae. It was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1757 under the original name Araneus lunatus. Since its initial description, the species has gone through many taxonomic revisions, and was moved to the genus Parasteatoda in 2008. P. lunata has a natural Palearctic distribution, found across Europe, Turkey, Israel, the Caucasus, all of Russia from its European regions to the Far East, and extending into Iran. This species has also been introduced to South Africa. The habitats of P. lunata include deciduous forests, screes, and open pine forests, and it is most commonly found among piles of stones. Individuals of this species have also been collected from tree bark. The retreat it constructs is a long, narrow silk tube.
