| Amauropelma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Ctenidae |
| Genus: | Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray, 2001 [1] |
| Type species | |
| A. trueloves Raven & Stumkat, 2001 | |
| Species | |
24, see text | |
Amauropelma is a genus of Australian and Asian wandering spiders first described by Robert Raven, Kylie S. Stumkat & Michael R. Gray in 2001. [2]
As of April 2019 [update] it contains twenty-four species: [1]
The genus Argiope includes rather large spiders that often have a strikingly coloured abdomen. These spiders are distributed throughout the world. Most countries in tropical or temperate climates host one or more species that are similar in appearance. The etymology of Argiope is from a Latin word argentum meaning silver. The carapace of Argiope species is typically covered in silvery hairs, and when crawling in the sun, they reflect it in a way that gives them a metallic, white appearance.
Wandering spiders (Ctenidae) are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae. They are highly defensive and venomous nocturnal hunters. Wandering spiders are known to hunt large prey, for example hylid species Dendropsophus branneri. Despite their notoriety for being dangerous, only a few members of Phoneutria have venom known to be hazardous to humans, but the venoms of this family are poorly known, so all larger ctenids should be treated with caution.
Zoropsidae, also known as false wolf spiders for their physical similarity to wolf spiders, is a family of cribellate araneomorph spiders first described by Philipp Bertkau in 1882. They can be distinguished from wolf spiders by their two rows of eyes that are more equal in size than those of Lycosidae.
Hadronyche is a genus of venomous Australian funnel-web spiders that was first described by L. Koch in 1873. Originally placed with the curtain web spiders, it was moved to the Hexathelidae in 1980, then to the Atracidae in 2018.
Tetrablemma is a widespread genus of armored spiders first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1873. It only has four eyes; an unusual trait for spiders, found only here and in some species of Caponiidae, though the two are not closely related. The eyes are large, but unequal in size, closely grouped around the center of the prosoma that rises in a somewhat of a cone shape from the abdomen. They have four closely positioned spinnerets enclosed in a corneous casing.
Robert John Raven is an Australian arachnologist, being the Head of Terrestrial Biodiversity and the Senior Curator (Arachnida) at the Queensland Museum. Dr Raven has described many species of spider in Australia and elsewhere, and is spider bite consultant to the Royal Brisbane Hospital, leading to much work on spider toxins.
Cataxia is a genus of Australian armoured trapdoor spiders that was first described by William Joseph Rainbow in 1914.
Euoplos is a genus of armoured trapdoor spiders that is endemic to Australia. It was first described by William Joseph Rainbow in 1914.
Psechrus is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Psechridae, and was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1878.
Pteroneta is a genus of sac spiders first described by Christa L. Deeleman-Reinhold in 2001.
Leichhardteus is a genus of Australian corinnid sac spiders first described by B. C. Baehr & Robert Raven in 2013.
Bengalla is a monotypic genus of Australian wandering spiders containing the single species, Bengalla bertmaini. It was first described by Michael R. Gray & Judith A. Thompson in 2001, and has only been found in Australia. It was originally assigned to the superfamily "Lycosoidea", but not to any actual family. In 2003, it was tentatively moved to the Ctenidae because of its apparent relationship to Janusia, another Australian monotypic genus of wandering spiders.
Conothele is a genus of mygalomorph spiders in the family Halonoproctidae, first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1878. Originally placed with the Ctenizidae, it was moved to the Halonoproctidae in 2018.
Dendrolycosa is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Carl Ludwig Doleschall in 1859.
Austrotengella is a genus of Australian false wolf spiders that was first described by Robert John Raven in 2012.
Griswoldia is a genus of southern African false wolf spiders. It was first described by A. S. Dippenaar-Schoeman and Rudy Jocqué in 1997, and it has only been found in South Africa.