Species in this genus are found in Asia, Africa, and South America.[1]
Description
Diphya species have a pear-shaped, shiny, yellowish brown to brown carapace with the eye area usually darker. The eyes are prominent and large, with their distinctive shape distinguishing the genus from other Tetragnathidae genera. The lateral eyes are widely spaced in two rows with the posterior row being the widest, and the eye region is elevated.[3]
The clypeus is steep and vertical, and the sternum is heart-shaped. The abdomen is stout and rounded, pale to dark with a pattern. The legs are long and slender with the front legs longer than the rest.[3]
Diphya species can be easily recognized by an anterior row of stiff inflexible setae on the tibia and metatarsi I and II. The male palp has a spine-like cymbial outgrowth.[3]
Life style
Most specimens have been collected during surveys using various methods including sweeping, beating, pitfall traps, litter sifting and vacuum sampling. They have been recorded from Forest, Grassland, Savanna, Fynbos and Indian Coastal Belt biomes.[3]
Marusik speculated in 2017 that they most likely do not build webs but catch their prey with a "basket" formed by the spiny first pair of legs, but photographs are now available of D. simoni in a small orb-web made in dead wood.[3]
Taxonomy
Diphya belongs to its own tribe, Diphyaini, of the family Tetragnathidae. Known South African species were revised by Omelko, Marusik and Lyle in 2020.[4]
D. tanasevitchi and D. albulum were transferred from Lophomma in 2007.[5]
Species
As of October2025[update], this genus includes 21 species:[1]
↑ Nicolet, H. (1849), "Aracnidos", in Gay, C. (ed.), Historia física y política de Chile
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p.5. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261.This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
↑ Omelko, M.M.; Marusik, Y.M.; Lyle, R. (2020). "A survey of Diphya Nicolet, 1849 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from South Africa". Zootaxa. 4899 (1): 259–279. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.14.
↑ Marusik, Y. M.; Gnelitsa, V. A.; Koponen, S. (2007). "A survey of Holarctic Linyphiidae (Aranei). 4. A review of the erigonine genus Lophomma Menge, 1868". Arthropoda Selecta. 15: 153–171.
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This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.