Venomius

Venomius
V. tomhardyi near Adelaide
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Venomius Rossi, Castanheira, Baptista & Framenau, 2023
Species:	V. tomhardyi
Binomial name
Venomius tomhardyi Rossi, Castanheira, Baptista & Framenau, 2023 [1]

Venomius is a genus of orb-weaver spider endemic to southern Australia, where it is found from southern Western Australia east to Tasmania. It contains only a single species, V. tomhardyi. ^[2]

It was named after the Marvel Comics character Venom, with its species name referencing actor Tom Hardy, who portrayed the character in Sony's Spider-Man Universe . ^[2] The genus name came from the black spots on the spider's abdomen, which reminded the authors of Venom's head. ^{[3] [4]}

It physically resembles the genera Phonognatha and Leviana in morphology and coloration, but has very different genital morphology. It builds webs on exposed tree branches in bushland or forests near the coast, creating silk-lined holes. ^{[2] [5]}

References

1. "Gen. Rossi, Castanheira, Baptista & Framenau, 2023". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2026-01-23.
2. Rossi, Giullia de F.; Castanheira, Pedro de S.; Baptista, Renner L. C.; Framenau, Volker W. (2023-04-09). "Venomius, a new monotypic genus of Australian orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae)". Evolutionary Systematics. 7 (2): 285–292. doi: 10.3897/evolsyst.7.110022 . ISSN   2535-0730.
3. "The venom spider: New genus named after Tom Hardy's Marvel character". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
4. Wood, Anthony (2023-09-12). "The Venom Spider: New Genus Named After Tom Hardy's Marvel Anti-Hero". IGN. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
5. "The Venom Spider: new genus named after Tom Hardy's Marvel character". 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2023-12-27.