Tree trunk spider

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Tree trunk spider
Temporal range: Cretaceous–present
Hersilia.okinawaensis.male.-.takinawa.jpg
Male Hersilia okinawaensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Hersiliidae
Thorell, 1869
Diversity
16 genera, 206 species
Distribution.hersiliidae.1.png

Hersiliidae is a tropical and subtropical family of spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1869, [1] which are commonly known as tree trunk spiders. They have two prominent spinnerets that are almost as long as their abdomen, earning them another nickname, the "two-tailed spiders". They range in size from 10 to 18 mm (0.4 to 0.7 in) long. Rather than using a web that captures prey directly, they lay a light coating of threads over an area of tree bark and wait for an insect to stray onto the patch. When this happens, they encircle their spinnerets around their prey while casting silk on it. When the insect is immobilized, they can bite it through the shroud.

Contents

Diversity

Hersiliidae is an entelegyne family (characterized primarily by the nature of the female genital system), and together with the family Oecobiidae traditionally formed the superfamily Oecobioidea. [2] The family consists of about 206 species divided into sixteen genera. [3] It has a global distribution in tropical and subtropical regions, with only a few species being found north of the 40°N parallel. All members are ecribellate (lack the cribella or perforated plates which produce multiple, exceptionally fine strands of silk) and are recognizable by the pair of exceptionally long spinnerets set at the tip of the abdomen. [2] They have eight eyes, set in two curved rows. They are small to medium-sized spiders and are active day and night. They are very well camouflaged when stationary on the trunk of a tree and aligned with the bark markings. [4]

Genera

As of April 2019, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera: [3]

Extinct genera

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prodidomidae</span> Subfamily of spiders

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<i>Hersilia</i> (spider) Genus of spiders

Hersilia, also known as long-spinnereted bark spiders and two-tailed spiders, is a genus of tree trunk spiders that was first described by Jean Victoire Audouin in 1826. Their nicknames are a reference to their greatly enlarged spinnerets.

<i>Scytodes</i> Genus of spiders

Scytodes is a genus of spitting spiders that occur all around the world. The most widely distributed species is Scytodes thoracica, which originally had a palearctic distribution, but has been introduced to North America, Argentina, India, Australia, and New Zealand. The genus was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. Spitting spiders have pale yellow bodies with black spots on their cephalothorax, and legs that are characterized by black bands.

<i>Tamopsis</i> Genus of spiders

Tamopsis is a genus of tree trunk spiders that was first described by B. Baehr & M. Baehr in 1987. Like other members of the family, they may be called two-tailed spiders, referring to two elongated spinnerets. The name is derived from the genus Tama and the Ancient Greek ὄψις, meaning "resembling".

<i>Neotama</i> Genus of spiders

Neotama is a genus of tree trunk spiders that was first described by M. Baehr & B. Baehr in 1993.

Duninia is a genus of Asian tree trunk spiders that was first described by Yuri M. Marusik & Victor R. Fet in 2009.

References

  1. Thorell, T. (1869). "On European spiders". Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis. 3 (7): 109–242.
  2. 1 2 Stoev, Pavel; Dunlop, Jason; Lazarov, Stoyan (2009). A life caught in a spider's web. PenSoft Publishers. p. 76. ISBN   978-954-642-502-7.
  3. 1 2 "Family: Hersiliidae Thorell, 1869". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  4. Whyte, Robert; Anderson, Greg (2017). A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia. Csiro Publishing. p. 157. ISBN   978-0-643-10708-3.