| Alistra taprobanica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Hahniidae |
| Genus: | Alistra |
| Species: | A. taprobanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Alistra taprobanica (Simon, 1898) | |
Alistra taprobanica is a species of spider of the genus Alistra . It is endemic to Sri Lanka, described by Eugène Simon in 1898. [1]
The species name “taprobanica” refers to Taprobane, an ancient Greek name for the island of Sri Lanka.
Spiders in the Hahniidae family are generally very small, often just a few millimeters in length.
They are known for building small, flat, sheet-like webs, often close to the ground, in leaf litter, moss, under stones, or in damp environments.
A distinctive feature of Hahniidae spiders is that their spinnerets are arranged in a single, transverse line at the rear of their abdomen, rather than in a cluster. This is a key identifying characteristic for the family.
They are typically ground-dwelling and are active hunters, using their small webs to trap tiny invertebrates.