Ornodolomedes

Ornodolomedes
O. benrevelli from Queensland
O. nicholsoni from Western Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Dolomedidae
Genus:	Ornodolomedes Raven & Hebron, 2018
Type species
Ornodolomedes benrevelli Raven & Hebron, 2018
Species
10, see text

Ornodolomedes, commonly known as rainforest sprites, ^[1] is a genus of Australian spiders in the family Dolomedidae. The genus and its ten known species were described by Robert Raven & Wendy Hebron in 2018. ^[2]

The name Ornodolomedes is a combination of the words ornate and Dolomedes . ^[1]

Taxonomy

The genus Ornodolomedes was described by Australian arachnologists Robert Raven and Wendy Hebron in a 2018 review of the family Pisauridae. ^{[1] [2]} Ten newly described species were placed in the genus upon its description, with Ornodolomedes benrevelli designated as the type species. ^[1] Ornodolomedes was placed in the family Pisauridae upon its initial description, but would be transferred to the family Dolomedidae in 2025. ^{[2] [3]}

Distribution and habitat

Ornodolomedes species are known from the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. ^{[1] [2]} They are arboreal and can be found on bark and leaves in rainforests, vine thickets, and riverine areas within eucalypt forests. ^[1]

Species

O. mickfanningi

This genus includes the following species: ^[2]

• Ornodolomedes benrevelli Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)
• Ornodolomedes gorenpul Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)
• Ornodolomedes marshi Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)
• Ornodolomedes mickfanningi Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)
• Ornodolomedes nebulosus Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)
• Ornodolomedes nicholsoni Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Western Australia)
• Ornodolomedes southcotti Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (South Australia)
• Ornodolomedes staricki Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Victoria)
• Ornodolomedes xypee Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)
• Ornodolomedes yalangi Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia (Queensland)

References

1. Raven, R. J.; Hebron, W. (2018). "A review of the water spider family Pisauridae in Australia and New Caledonia with descriptions of four new genera and 23 new species". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 60: 233–381. doi: 10.17082/j.2204-1478.60.2018.2017-06 .
2. "Gen. Ornodolomedes Raven & Hebron, 2018". World Spider Catalog . Version 25.5. Bern, Switzerland: Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 15 February 2025.
3. Morris, Sarah A.; Hazzi, Nicolas A.; Hormiga, Gustavo (2025). "Molecular phylogenetics of nursery web spiders (Araneae: Pisauridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 203 108247. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108247 .