Witica crassicauda

Last updated

Witica crassicauda
Witica crassicauda - Kai Squires - 196390093.jpeg
W. crassicauda
Witica crassicauda - Kai Squires - 177174845.jpeg
W. crassicauda
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Witica
Species:
W. crassicauda
Binomial name
Witica crassicauda
(Keyserling, 1865)
Synonyms
  • Epeira crassicaudaKeyserling, 1865
  • Salassia tricuspisGétaz, 1893
  • Cyclosa crassicauda(Keyserling, 1893)
  • Witica talisO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895
  • Salassina crassicauda(Simon, 1895)
  • Physiola nigransSimon, 1895
  • Bion brevisO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898
  • Edricus crassicauda(F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904)
  • Edricus tricuspis(F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904)

Witica crassicauda is a species of orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. [1] It is the type species of the genus Witica . [2] The species is widely distributed across the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico to Peru. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name crassicauda is derived from Latin, meaning "thick-tailed", referring to the shape of the abdomen. [2]

Distribution

W. crassicauda has been recorded from forests throughout Central and South America. The species occurs from Mexico through Central America to Venezuela and Peru, including the Greater Antilles. [2] Specific locality records include numerous sites across Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru. [2]

Habitat

The species inhabits forest environments throughout its range. [2]

Description

W. crassicauda shows considerable size variation between males and females, with females being significantly larger. Females have a total length of 6.5 to 12.0 mm, while males range from 1.4 to 1.7 mm. The carapace in females measures 3.2 mm long and 2.7 mm wide, compared to 0.9 mm long and 0.7 mm wide in males. [2]

The species can be distinguished by several diagnostic features. The median septum of the epigyne is as wide or wider than the depressions on each side, and males possess a distinctive curved tube on the base of the embolus tip. The dorsal coloration, pattern, and shape of the female abdomen are variable characteristics within the species. [2]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described as Epeira crassicauda by Eugen von Keyserling in 1865. [3] It has a complex taxonomic history, having been placed in several different genera and described under multiple names before being transferred to Witica by Herbert Walter Levi in 1986. Levi's revision synonymized several previously recognized species, including Edricus tricuspis and Witica talis, with W. crassicauda. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Witica crassicauda (Keyserling, 1865)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Levi, H. W. (1986). "The orb-weaver genus Witica (Araneae: Araneidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 93 (1–2): 35–46. doi: 10.1155/1986/93154 .
  3. ↑ Keyserling, E. (1865). "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Orbitelae Latr". Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 15: 799–856.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.