About Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830)
Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830) displays clear sexual dimorphism in both body coloration and body proportions. Females have a reddish-brown cephalothorax, a dark yellow abdomen with lighter markings, and yellowish legs. Males are more uniformly colored: their cephalothorax, legs, and abdomen are all reddish-brown. Males also have more elongated abdomens and cephalothoraxes than females. This species builds loose, flattened, cocoon-like structures to protect its eggs, and these structures are attached to leaves. During its reproductive period, a female N. flavescens can produce four to five batches of eggs. N. flavescens is widely distributed across Europe, the Caucasus, and Iran. It has been recorded in many European countries, and was notably rediscovered in Britain in recent years, after not being recorded there for a long time. According to Walckenaer's original description, N. flavescens is found specifically in June, on the leaves of orange and lilac trees.
