Amaurobioides

Amaurobioides
A. maritima from New Zealand
A. africana, adult female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Anyphaenidae
Genus:	Amaurobioides O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 [1]
Type species
A. maritima O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883
Species
12, see text
Synonyms [1]
Cluilius

Amaurobioides is a genus of anyphaenid sac spiders first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1883. ^[2]

Here's a short distribution section for the genus *Amaurobioides* article:

Distribution and biogeography

The genus Amaurobioides shows a remarkable disjunct distribution across the Southern Hemisphere, with species found along the rocky coastlines of South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania, and Chile. ^[3] This unusual distribution pattern among intertidal spiders has attracted considerable biogeographical interest.

Hewitt (1917) proposed that the wide distribution might be explained through passive dispersal on floating seaweeds, facilitated by the ocean currents of the southern oceans. This hypothesis is supported by the genus's ecological preferences for intertidal zones and their ability to survive submersion in waterproof silk-lined retreats. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current and various equatorial currents in the Indian Ocean could provide mechanisms for such long-distance dispersal, potentially transporting spiders on drifting algae between continents. ^[3]

Species

As of September 2025 ^[update] it contains twelve species: ^[1]

• Amaurobioides africana Hewitt, 1917 – Namibia, South Africa
• Amaurobioides chilensis (Nicolet, 1849) – Chile
• Amaurobioides isolata Hirst, 1993 – Australia (South Australia)
• Amaurobioides litoralis Hickman, 1949 – Australia (Tasmania)
• Amaurobioides major Forster, 1970 – New Zealand
• Amaurobioides maritima O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 – New Zealand
• Amaurobioides minor Forster, 1970 – New Zealand
• Amaurobioides pallida Forster, 1970 – New Zealand
• Amaurobioides picuna Forster, 1970 – New Zealand
• Amaurobioides piscator Hogg, 1909 – New Zealand (Auckland Is., Campbell Is.)
• Amaurobioides pleta Forster, 1970 – New Zealand
• Amaurobioides pohara Forster, 1970 – New Zealand

References

1. "Gen. Amaurobioides O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
2. Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1883). "On some new genera and species of spiders". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 51 (3): 352–365. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1883.tb06654.x.
3. Hewitt, J. (1917). "Descriptions of new South African Arachnida". Annals of the Natal Museum. 3: 687–711.